Hyrule's Heroes: Destiny of a Hero Second Chance
by Wynn of Hyrule
Summary: Set after Ocarina of Time, a new menace arises to threaten Hyrule, and it is up to a new hero, along with his friends, to save the day. This is the revamped version.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: Four years have passed since I started writing Hyrule's Heroes. Four years of plot work during the days, four years of staying up late, far past when I should be asleep, trying to squeeze out just one more paragraph. Granted, I haven't made near the progress I would have wanted...but its a start.

Time has changed a lot. Most obvious is my writing style. I've learned a lot since the first words, and I dare say I might have gotten better at this. Comparing my latter books and the first are almost a painful experience, with plenty of "I wrote this?!?" and "This is horrible!" at every sentence.

The characters, and the plot, have also changed. Wynn's not the same person, Seron's most certainly not the same person; all of the characters have matured along with my writing. Certain elements of the story have sprung from things I had only the barest hint of four years ago, and things that were important then have grown stale.

As it neared the anniversary of Hyrule's Heroes' creation, I realized that all of my books were becoming obsolete as the story evolved. I desperately wanted a chance to change things, to rework the world I was creating. I wanted a second chance.

And so here it is.

This is Book 1 of Hyrule's Heroes. The basic story is the same as the last. The characters are still all here. The battles are all still here. But as much as it is the same, it is different. All of the characters are the same at heart, but now they are deeper; if I am true to aim, Wynn will no longer be the stereotypical goody goody, Jier will no longer be just a shadow (But he's so GOOD at it!), and Fami will no longer be a flake (Heaven help me...). Events will be different; there will be new scenes, new battles, new character interaction. In short, this is a total revamp of Hyrule's Heroes.

I hope you enjoy this. For my old fans (All 3? 4? of them...) this will be a whole new light on the story, a whole new experience. For the new readers...well, at least I hope to make a better first impression. ^_^ In any case, happy reading, and comments and compliments, and the occasion criticism, are certainly appreciated.

Oh, before I start...a few words. First, Hyrule, Link, Zelda, etc., do not belong to me. Alas, they are the creations of another mind, and I'm just borrowing them. Wynn, Fami, Nerah, Tane, Shezarah, Jier, Seron, Kiara, Icarnos, Agno, Baro, Vailen, Devain, etc. etc. DO belong to me. And also, a few thanks. First, I thank the Muses. My inspiration, my critics, my support; I thank you, TKC and Lightyear. I also thank Matt. Granted, he hasn't seen a word of this in 3 years, but he was my first reader. He'll read all of this...eventually. I also thank Eric, Abra-chan, and SSM. Oh, and my readers here on FFN: Thanks to Shae, and to StarDragonBlue, who I sadly haven't seen a review from in some time. Regardless, without readers like you all, then this story may have died out long ago.

I won't hold you up any more. The story's ahead; enjoy the works of this poor mind. 

~Pendragon 

Chapter 1

The sun was rising over Hyrule Field. Today, after seven long years of darkness, light and hope were returning to this once-peaceful realm. Only the night before, the evil king Ganondorf, conqueror and tyrant, had been slain by the Hero of Time, Link. Now free of the oppressive rule of the monstrous King of Evil and the fear that had hung over the hearts of all that had to fight to stay alive against his vicious monsters every day, celebrations had erupted everywhere, the different races and peoples forgetting their differences and prejudices and dancing together around the light of a bonfire. Life could once again return to what it had been before Ganondorf and his cruel reign.

It wasn't long that morning before the village of Kakariko was moving with its usual hustle and bustle. Many familiar faces went about life as they were used to, but did so with a little more enthusiasm, more spring in their step and more warmth in their smiles. The cut-ups, jokers and loudmouths infamous for their mischievous antics, met at their favorite tree and began throwing taunts at passerby, who merely ignored them and smiled. The woman known only as the Cucco Lady came out of her home and began tending to her cuccos, even the fowl seeming more energetic and less harried. Businesses opened throughout the village, the shop keeps looking forward to a day of new profit and happier customers.

As much as things were as always, however, things still had changed. Some people had already begun to pack up, preparing to return to what had once been their homes in the Hyrule Marketplace. When Ganondorf had made Hyrule Castle his home, the town had been besieged by monsters, and the luckier inhabitants had fled to Kakariko to make a new life. Now, however, they could go back to their former homes without having to fear being so close to the domain of the evil king. Here and there were new faces, with travel routes reopened. In one corner of the town, avoided by most intelligent villagers, a small gang of thuggish men had gathered, the glint in their eyes warning all that they were looking for trouble. Across the way, two young men stood conversing, arguing, the lighter haired man emptying out his pockets, the darker man shaking his head consolingly. A red-haired man yawned loudly as he leaned up against a building, watching the passerby with half-lidded eyes.

Not many people noticed when the gruff man stepped through the village gates. After all, his was a familiar face; the Carpenter Boss, as he was known, had lived in this town for most of his life. If they had taken time to look, however, they would have noticed a few things unusual. One was the purpose in his stride; he was not a lazy man, and could easily be called determined, but today he was on a mission. Another was the slight tremble of fury in his eyes. He was renowned for his explosive temper, but this morning something had definitely angered him. He stormed straight to the center of town, ignoring the taunting greetings of the cut-ups, and stopped, placing his hands on his hips. "Hey!" he shouted, trying to draw everyone's attention. Some turned to face him, but most casually went on with their business, too busy to pay attention to this interruption. His ire growing, he took a deep breath. "HEY!" he bellowed, the sound echoing off the walls off the buildings. Now, all eyes turned to regard him in shock. He smiled, satisfied.

"I'm looking to hire me a fighter, a man of action. Anyone here fit the description?" None answered, but at least five ears perked at the words. "I'm willing to pay one hundred rupees to the man that'll get rid of those ReDeads infesting the marketplace. Not too much for that kind of money, I know, but I need this job done!" He gave a grin, approving of his own generosity. "Any volunteers?"

Now, while most of the villagers rolled their eyes and went on with their lives, he did have the attention of three parties. The group of thugs stood from where they had been reclining, their leader scratching his chin as he considered how high he could jack up the price. The red-haired man regarded the Carpenter Boss curiously, shrugged, and proceeded to go back to sleep leaning against his wall. The two young men turned, the lighter one uncertain, the one dressed in black prompting him on.

"One hundred rupees?" jeered one of the cut-ups. "You're never going to find anyone that stupid!"

"Make it two hundred rupees," called the brown-haired young man, his darker companion stepping back into the shadows, "and you have a deal." 

The Carpenter Boss considered the young man. He was in his late teens at least, his manner and the grace of his movements spoke volumes of his experience. He was broad-shouldered and obviously muscular, and wore battered leather armor with a short sword belted to his side. His brown hair was uncombed, and he looked to need a shave from the shadow under his chin, but his eyes were intensely bright despite the early hour. He came down the stairs near where he stood to face the Carpenter Boss, folding his arms across his chest.

"Two hundred!" gagged the older man. "That's theft! Robbery!"

"That's my price," insisted the young man, eyes narrowing.

"A bit overpriced for such a wimp, don't you think?" Both men turned to face the crowd of men coming down the stairs. The thugs sneered down at the two, cracking their knuckles. The leader sneered at the younger man, raising his chin. "One hundred fifty rupees, and the five of us _ men_ will do what this _boy_ charges two hundred for."

One of the scrawnier thugs chuckled. "ReDeads? Little boy looks like he'd get smashed by a crippled Tektite!"

"One fifty?" questioned the younger adventurer. "Sure you can count that high?"

Now interested, the red-haired man watched the bickering, a smile growing on his face.

The Carpenter Boss looked to the thugs. The five men were heavily scarred, and their tattered armor was filthy and unkempt. They obviously had more experience than the other man, if less skill. The leader was a brute of a man, bulging muscles and a face pockmarked by scars. Uglier, dumber, and with more attitude than they had a right to, the Carpenter Boss concluded, but cheaper was good.

"One fifty it is," he said. The thugs turned, gloating at the other man as they walked with the Carpenter Boss towards the exit of the village.

The younger man tensed furiously, his hand squeezing the hilt of his sword. "I'll be here if you decide you want the job done right," he shouted coldly, before walking back to the shadows where his dark-clad companion awaited. 

******

The Carpenter Boss strode purposefully towards the Marketplace, the gang of toughs following behind him. It wasn't long before they could see the drawbridge that led into the town, once closed only during the night, then destroyed during Ganondorf's ascension. Seeing the bridge, reconstructed and better than even before, the Carpenter Boss crowed loudly. "Look at that! We've only been working for a day, and we've already got the bridge back to working!" He regarded the men lounging near the bridge. "Don't see how, with all those lazy buffoons I hired," he grumbled, glaring threateningly at the impassive men. "Once you clear out those zombies, we'll be able to start work on the town itself. While those monsters are in there, these cowards-"

"We don't really care, old man," interrupted the leader of the toughs. "We're here for the money, not your life story."

The Carpenter Boss whirled on him furiously. "Is that so? Well, then, by all means! Get in there!" he bellowed. Some of the other thugs flinched, but the leader nodded his head sarcastically, rudely shoving the man out of the way as he walked into the town, freeing his sword from its sheath, the others following close behind.

"Young punks," the Carpenter Boss growled, turning to vent his frustration on his workers. He was not a patient man, and knew he was not going to like to wait for the mercenaries to get done with their bloody work.

To his surprise and relief, he didn't have long to wait. Shortly afterwards, he could hear the cries and screams of battle. If he had cared to notice, he would have noticed that the cries were human, but he was too satisfied to be concerned with such a detail. However, he did notice the four men dashing out of the town, one clutching a torn arm, another applying pressure to the gash on his head. He watched them run off, terrified, into the field, fleeing the monsters. As the last of them, the leader of the group, ran out, he grabbed at the man's shirt, trying to hold him to interrogate him. Instead, the mercenary glanced at him, not really seeing him through the terror in his eyes, and shoved away, knocking the Carpenter Boss down as he followed his comrades. 

The older man sighed as he picked himself up off the ground. "Some _men_," he grumbled. Glaring at the snickering workers, he shook his head wearily. "Two hundred it is," he moaned, and began the slow walk back to Kakariko Village.

******

While the Carpenter Boss was making his lonely walk, the young man was still arguing with his raven-haired acquaintance. Now, the dark-clad man was leaning against a wall, his hand held out in front of him in a gesture of helplessness. The brown-haired young man was adamantly pressuring him, refusing to give up.

"Come on," the brown-haired man insisted. "I really need that information! I don't have the money right now, but I _swear_ I will get it to you!"

The darker young man shook his head. He was slimmer than the man he was talking to, with an angled face topped by ebon hair and dark eyes. He wore black leather armor and a flowing black cape. His dress was unusual, showy even, yet he still stuck to the shadows, perhaps trying to draw a little less attention than his style of dress usually drew.

"Sorry, friend," he said apologetically, shrugging. "You're asking me to make a big risk. Looking into mercenary bands, even for someone with my connections, is risky business. Even if I got you what you needed, I might need to go into hiding, and how would I get my money then?"

"This is important!" insisted the other man, turning away in frustration.

"I know, I know," insisted the darker man. "Listen, I'll be around here for a few days. You get the cash, and we'll talk, O.K.?"

"A few days might be too late!" cried the first, whirling. To his shock, the other man was gone, disappeared into the shadows. Roaring in frustration, he slugged a nearby wall, doing nothing to relieve his anger and only making his hand hurt. "Is everyone in this village a creep?" he demanded, sucking on his torn knuckles.

"I hope not," came a soft voice from behind him. The young man turned to see a woman, about his age, standing nearby. She was tall and lean, with red hair and a cheerful face. "But I suppose you're talking about Agno? That bully certainly fits the description."

The young man blinked, confused, and then remembered the leader of the thugs. "Oh, yeah, him. One creep in a long list today." He started to offer the young woman his hand, then noticed the shape he had just left it in. Instead, he nodded his head in introduction. "By the way, my name is Wynn."

The young woman smiled brightly. "Wynn, eh? Nice to meet you." She stopped, thinking. "Everyone around here just calls me the Cucco Lady."

Wynn recalled seeing the woman earlier, tending to the fowl on the other side of town. "Interesting name you have there," he said, chuckling. He glanced to the side, seeing the Carpenter Boss reenter the town. "Ah, it looks like Agno and his pals weren't too successful. Maybe I'll see you around," he said, moving towards the stairs. The Cucco Lady waved a farewell, starting back towards her cuccos.

As he walked, Wynn noticed the red-haired man chuckling as he watched Wynn. Wynn glared up at him, wondering what the man found to be so funny, and then turned away. "Not all creeps," he grumbled, "evenly split between creeps and creepy."

He smirked as he stood before the Carpenter Boss, the older man regarding him with relief and a fair dose of chagrin. "So, I guess you get what you pay for, eh?"

"Two hundred rupees, and not one more!" the older man bellowed. Wynn smiled, nodding imperiously. Grumbling all the while, the Carpenter Boss turned, and together they made the long walk back towards the Marketplace.

******

It wasn't long before they stood before the drawbridge. "Good luck," grumbled the Carpenter Boss, motioning harshly towards the open gates. Wynn saluted him arrogantly, walking into the dismal ruins of the marketplace without another word.

The young adventurer quickly lost his bluster as he walked into the village. All around him, buildings were in shambles, plants lay wilted, and even the cobblestones of the ground were uprooted and scattered. He could hear the low moans of the beasts everywhere, echoing off the walls. He stopped, leaning against the crumbling walls of what had once been a shop. He tried to remember everything he had been taught about ReDeads, and everything he had seen from his encounters with them. He knew the beasts were zombies, undead manlike creatures that existed to suck the life out of the living. He knew that looking into the eyes of one of the beasts was a chilling experience, inspiring enough fear in even the bravest man to paralyze him long enough for the monsters to surround him and overwhelm him. 

Suddenly, a nearby window exploded outward. Leathery hands flailed out, grasping at the man. He cried out, throwing himself backwards. He looked into the window, and saw only empty, soulless eyes staring out. Fear overwhelmed him, and he couldn't move, his brain refusing to work. The monster was the one to break the connection, turning to shamble out of the building in an attempt to get at Wynn.

The man's first instinct was to run, to flee this place and never come back. Remembering his confidant words and boasts, he restrained the urge, standing and drawing his sword. He could feel the beast calling to him, demanding he meet his gaze. He faced away, trying to control himself as he heard the slow footsteps make their way towards him. Almost on him now, he could feel the lifeless creature reaching for him, toothless mouth open in preparation to suck out his life. Snarling, Wynn turned, one hand covering his eyes, the other whipping his blade past the beasts defenses, hacking and slashing blindly. The sword bite several times, but failed to stop the creature. It was right on top of him now, arms encircling him in a twisted hug, maw reaching for his throat. In desperation, Wynn threw his sword across with all his strength, feeling it make contact. He heard the creature fall to the ground bonelessly, and only then dared to uncover his eyes. He looked down in surprise at the headless ReDead, decapitated by his last desperate strike.

"I hate ReDeads," Wynn commented, stepping over the corpse with one last glower. He looked into the town, still hearing the moans, wanting nothing more than to run away, but refusing to give up. He noticed motion beside him, and was relieved to find it to be only a tattered banner flapping in the wind. He regarded it thoughtfully, his mind working out a solution to the monsters' powers. With a grim smile, he reached up and tore a strip from the banner, then wrapped it across his eyes. Making his sightless way forward, he walked forward, ready now to begin his grisly task.

******

"We'll never get done at this rate," complained the Carpenter Boss. He tapped his foot impatiently, stopping every few moments to glare at his hired help who, unlike he, were unconcerned with the wait. Roaring in frustration, the man turned his gaze back to the town's gates. He could hear fighting inside distantly, but this time it was battle cries instead of screams of agony that rang out. He expected any moment now to see the young man dash out, bleeding from every side, but instead time passed without any resolution.

The sun was setting when Wynn stepped out of the town. He was covered in blood, but little of it was his own. He walked out calmly, a blindfold dropping from his face. He slung his sword through a quick butterfly loop before slamming it into its sheath. He stepped before the Carpenter Boss, smirking.

The Carpenter Boss glowered at him. "Are they dead?"

Wynn nodded, bowing snidely over an arm. "I assure you, I am perfectly all right, but I thank you for your concern." The older man glared at his sarcasm, and Wynn straightened, his smile never dropping. "There isn't a one left in there. But let me tell you, two hundred rupees isn't worth that!"

"A bit late for such reconsiderations," chuckled the Carpenter Boss. "But here's the money I owed you."

Wynn grinned enthusiastically as the man dropped glittering rupees into his hand. However, his smile quickly changed into a frown, and then he looked at the older man furiously. Five blue rupees were all he held. "This is fifty! You promised to pay me two hundred!"

"That I did, son!" chuckled the Carpenter Boss. "I just didn't say when." Seeing Wynn's eyes turn dangerous, he held his hands before him. "Now, wait just a minute. As soon as we get done with our job and get paid, you'll get your money. And you know where to find me. They say patience is a virtue, you know."

Wynn gaped at him, jaws open, before turning and storming off, back towards the town, shouting complaints all the while. The Carpenter Boss watched him, amused. "Kid reminds me of myself when I was younger," he commented nostalgically. Then, his face returning to its usual scowl, he turned on his workers, who paled under the fierce gaze. "Get to work!" he bellowed, and the men dashed to their feet and into the town, the Carpenter Boss hot on their heels, shouting all the while, completely forgetting the young man making the long walk back to Kakariko village under the setting sun.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I don't know what I did to deserve this," Wynn grumbled as he trudged up the last few steps leading into Kakariko Village, "but it must have been _really_ bad." He sighed loudly as he passed through the gate, rubbing his temples. He had managed to scrape up enough rupees beforehand to rent a bed from a nice family that lived in the village, but that had exhausted his funds. He now had enough to live on, but he needed every last bit he could scrape up. The man he had met, Seron?, had set his price on the information Wynn needed at five hundred rupees. The price was outrageous, but beggars can't be choosers, Wynn knew, and not paying Seron's price would be even more costly to him.

"Now, what I wouldn't give for a bit of _good_ luck," Wynn said, leaning against the village gates to catch his breath. He froze as he heard shouting, looking up just in time to see the red-haired human projectile streaking at him. He didn't have time to brace himself as the man plowed into him, knocking him to the ground. Wynn caught himself before he landed on his face, turning to give the man a venomous glare, which the other was too busy running away to notice. The man, the same that had been in the village earlier that day, managed to glance over his shoulder, giving a hasty "Sorry!", before sprinting out of sight.

Wynn stood, dusting himself off, swallowing the scathing retort he so wanted to yell back at the clumsy oaf. He hesitated as he heard more running footsteps coming up behind him, whirling to face them, squaring his shoulders. 'Whoever they are,' he thought defiantly, 'they are not going to plow me over like their friend did!'

However, the men stopped before they reached him. They were a rough-looking bunch, scarred and ugly like Agno and his flunkies. Something about them, perhaps the fact that it was more confidence than arrogance in their movements, warned Wynn against underestimating them. He gave the group, perhaps five men, a steely glare, wrapping his fingers tight around the hilt of his sword. If they were bandits or thieves, Wynn promised, they had picked the wrong target tonight!

The leader of the men stepped forward. He was a tall man, wide-shouldered and powerfully built. His narrow, angled face was lined with thin scars, the most noticeable a large white line above his left eye. He wore thick armor, with a flowing black cape trailing behind him. The man's dark eyes narrowed, and his lips, over which was draped a bushy mustache that trailed down to frame his mouth on three sides, pursed. He stepped up to face Wynn, measuring the man scornfully.

"Tell me, boy," Wynn tensed at the last word, "did you see a man just run by? About your size, red hair, running like the King of Evil himself was after him?" Wynn raised his eyebrow at the man, and the older man scowled, his left hand coming forward to grip at the throat of Wynn's tunic. "Did you, boy?"

Wynn eyed the other coldly. His own left hand came up, gripping the other's wrist tightly, pulling it down and away from his throat. His right hand, however, tightened on his sword. This man looked familiar, and, if he didn't control himself, he might lash out before he got to ask any questions. "I may have," he answered emotionlessly. "But then again, maybe not."

The dark man stepped back, reappraising Wynn. With a smooth motion, he drew his weapon. Wynn tensed as the man waved the weapon casually in front of him. It was a serpentine blade, the metal zigzagging back and forth, the sharp edges along both sides gleaming. The threat was obvious, but Wynn didn't back down.

"It would be best if you told us," the man purred. "He's a thief and a murderer. Unless we catch him, he could be a threat to anyone who saw him. He's downright…" He paused, the point of his blade right between Wynn's impassive eyes, "_dangerous_." One of the thugs behind him snickered.

'Oh, puh-lease' Wynn thought, seriously tempted to show the man the true meaning of that word. Instead, he decided it would be best to be helpful. "I did see him, now that I think of it." The dark man nodded, prompting him on. Wynn pointed behind the man, the opposite direction to which the red head had actually ran, at a set of stairs that led up toward the other set of gates, the ones leading towards the Death Mountain Trail. "He ran that way. He's pretty fast, better get to moving." Wynn gave the man a sickeningly nice smile.

It was the man's turn to raise an eyebrow. For a second, Wynn was sure he knew that he was lying. Instead, the man smiled back, showing his teeth. "That's a good boy," he commented, tapping his blade teasingly against Wynn's cheek. Turning, he sheathed his weapon, waving his men to him. "Come!"

Wynn watched the men go, scowling at their backs. At that moment, he would like nothing more than to show them a little of what he had showed their like a few days before, but instead he turned, walking on toward the house and the nice, warm bed that awaited him. He still felt a bit of recognition towards the leader…not a good sign, considering the only time he had been exposed to their ilk. Now Wynn paused, giving a dark glare towards the night where the men had departed. If they had anything to do with what had happened to him then, then he would not rest until everyone one of them paid for it.

Snarling at them, himself, clumsy redheads, and fate itself, he walked into the house. This day was done, and he was going to have to get plenty of sleep for tomorrow. Jobs around here were scarce, at least the ones that generated the kind of money he needed, and he figured he would be better off looking elsewhere. Tomorrow would probably involve a lot of walking around looking for nothing in particular, and that wasn't exactly the most relaxing activity. Still, he lay awake for a long time that night, unable to sleep. His last thought, as darkness took him, was that the red head, whoever he may be, better be thankful for what he had done for him.

******

"Come, my servant, and stand before me."

The dark young man grinned up at his teacher. He knelt down at the man's feet, lowering his head. He could feel the piercing blue eyes of the man he called 'master' on him, but didn't flinch. Tonight, he brought good news.

"Tell me, what did you learn? Did you find him? Did you find the son of Baro?"

The dark young man stood, his smile growing. "I did."

He could hear the soft hiss of approval from the old man that sat above him. "And what of him? What is your opinion? Can we use him?"

The young man nodded, his dark eyes glinting. "He is quite able. He killed all of the ReDeads in the market ruins, a task beyond a dozen lesser men. He shows no other powers yet, besides skill with a blade, but still could be quite useful. He is also easily manipulated. He believed my story, desperate for any knowledge of his family. He seeks revenge single-mindedly. He is consumed by rage, and yet at the same time feels much self-doubt. I do not doubt you could easily control him."

As he heard the chuckle of his master, the young man forced down a twinge of jealousy. His master had shown such interest in this one, much more than he deserved. After all, it was not the son of Baro that was the wizard's apprentice; it was not the son of Baro that had shown such loyalty and promise to the old man. He did not even have a control of magic like his father had!

"Go," came the command. "Watch him. Observe him. See if he proves worthy of my attention. Report back to me. And then, if I so decide, you will bring him to me."

The dark young man nodded. "As you command, my master." Turning away, he allowed his face to slip into the scowl that had been lurking inside him. He would observe him, indeed. And he would find the man's weakness. The man smiled evilly. And if Wynn, the son of Baro, proved to be a threat to him, then he would not hesitate to destroy him.

******

_Smoke rose above the trees_, _almost blending in with the dark clouds that had shrouded the sky that day_. _Wynn glanced up at the smoke quizzically_, _not understanding its source_. _He dropped the supplies he had been sent to gather_, _moving forward in a jog_. _The day was warm_, _so there would be no real need for a fire for warmth_. _It could be a cooking fire_, _but it seemed larger_, _more spread out than it should_. _Something was wrong_.

_Wynn dashed into the small clearing in the woods that flanked the small building that had been the only home he had ever known_. _His jaw dropped as he saw the flames that enshrouded it_. _The small house was afire_, _and perhaps a dozen_, _two dozen_, _men ran around the place_, _searching_, _looting_. _Wynn looked around_, _searching for any sign of his parents_, _but there were none_.

_He could feel the heat of the flames on his face as he dashed forward_. _One of the men_, _bandits he assumed_, _ turned toward him_, _sword before him_. _Wynn drew his own sword_, _a blade his father had given to him_, _charging forward_, _eyes lit with fires of rage to match the flames consuming his home_. _The brute met him_, _sword coming around in a vicious slash_, _but Wynn was quicker_, _more agile_. _Muscles fueled by agony and crying out for vengeance_, _Wynn drove his sword home_, _piercing through the man's defenses_, _ his armor_, _and his chest_.

_Shoving the dying man_, _the first human he had ever killed_, _to the ground_, _Wynn moved on_, _eyes set on his burning home_. _Two men stepped in front of him_, _brandishing wickedly spiked clubs_. _Wynn moved to one side_, _positioning one of the men between him and the other_. _He effortlessly dodged the man's wild swing, the pummel of his sword coming up and around to slam into the man's temple_. _Shoving the unconscious man aside_, _he ducked under a swipe from the other man_, _stabbing forward_. _The man shrieked_, _clutching at the agonizing gut wound_. _Wynn spun past him_, _his sword stabbing behind him to finish the job_, _his movements controlled by the fighter's instincts his father had drilled into him_.

_Those same instincts made him spin around_, _ knocking away the stab that came at his back_. _The thug glared at him_, _slashing with the long dirk he held in his other hand_. _Wynn stepped back_, _planting a kick on the man's knee_, _then bringing his sword across the man's throat_. _The man fell down_, _clutching at his torn neck_, _trying to stem the uncontrollable flow as his lifeblood left him_, _but Wynn didn't notice_, _already moving onward_. _He only cared now about the fate of his parents_.

_Wynn's heart rose as he saw a dark form emerge from the flames_, _coming out of the door he had almost reached_. _That hope quickly perished as he looked at the man_, _if it was indeed a man_, _that stood before him_. _It was a massive figure clad entirely in gleaming silver armor_. _Wynn looked up at the thing that towered over him_, _into the dark shadows of the helmet that stared down at him_. _Glowing red eyes looked back_, _the cold fire in that gaze contrasting with the heat of the fire and the reflection of the fire off the shining armor_. "_Who are you_?" _Wynn screamed_, _dashing forward, sword leading the way_. "_What have you done with my parents_?!?"

_Effortlessly_, _the figure knocked his sword away_. _Wynn gasped_, _struggling for breath_, _as cold metal fingers wrapped around his throat_. _He felt his feet leave the ground_, _and black spots danced before his eyes as the metal-clad behemoth held him up to its eye-level_. _Wynn looked into those soulless red eyes in desperation_, _clawing at the wrist that held him aloft_. _He watched helplessly as the beast drew a massive double-headed ax_, _at least as tall as Wynn_, _from its back_. _Wynn closed his eyes_, _waiting for the pain_. _That weapon would split him in half_, _he knew_. _ The surprise was that_, _at the moment_, _he no longer cared_.

_Wynn grunted_, _the air forced from him_, _as he felt a massive concussion against his skull_. _He felt himself falling as the hand left his throat_, _and even as he hit the ground he was still falling_, _drifting into darkness_. _He knew it had been the flat side of the ax had had struck him_. _He still waited for the death blow_, _but it never came_. _He opened his eyes to a blurry world_, _trying to make himself see_. _He could make out a mustachioed man looking down at him_, _and felt a slight pressure at his throat_, _but suddenly the man was knocked away_. "_Leave him_," _came a growling voice_, _as cold and as sharp as a sword_. "_He is of no use to us now_, _alive or dead_. _Let him live to see what has been done_."

"_I don't leave enemies at my back_," _insisted the bandit_.

"_I didn't hire you to question me_!" _roared the armored behemoth_. "_Our work is done here_."

_ The defeated young man could hear footsteps moving away from him as his attackers left. Wynn's eyes drifted shut as the world began to spin around him_. _He screamed inside for help_, _for vengeance_, _for his own death_.

_There was no answer as the darkness took him_. 

******

"Are you O.K., Mister?"

Wynn gasped for breath, sitting up in a lunge. He hastily wiped a hand across his forehead, wiping away some of the sweat that drenched him. He glanced around, trying to slow his racing heart to a tolerable level as he tried to sort out his surroundings.

The girl that had spoken to him watched him with concern. "A bad dream?"

Wynn looked at her, noticing her for the first time. He looked at her worried face for several seconds, then turned away. "I wish it was just a bad dream."

The young girl's face fell as he stood, climbing out of bed and reaching for his armor. She came over to him, placing a slender hand on his shoulder. "Something is wrong. Is there any way we can help?"

Wynn turned, giving her a quick appraisal. She was around his age, tall and slim. Her blonde hair hung past her shoulders, framing a pair of bright, intelligent blue eyes. She wore an unbuttoned blue vest over a white shirt, which was tucked into a pair of blue pants. She was pretty, Wynn noticed, but then he shook his head. No time for thinking about stuff like that now, he chided himself.

He chuckled wryly. He thought briefly of his parents, both missing. He remembered his old friend Solan, killed in a bandit raid on his farm with his parents. He looked back at the girl, shaking his head. "Sorry, but you don't want to help me. People who get close to me have a way of getting killed."

The girl crossed her arms, eyeing him sternly as he slipped his armor over his shoulders. "A bit over-dramatic, are we?"

Wynn looked at her, his eyes cold, hiding the pain that he couldn't force down at that moment. "I wish it was just melodrama. Trust me, its better if you forget you ever met me."

The girl stepped back, considering him. "My name is Kiara. Please, at least, take this bread, if you have to leave. I have to help you somehow."

Wynn gave her a weak smile as he belted on his sword, reaching out to take the fresh loaf of bread she offered. "Thanks, a lot. Please, take my advice. I never came here."

She watched him walk to the door. He hesitated as he opened it, and then turned to her. "Goodbye, Kiara."

"At least tell me your name."

He shook his head sadly, giving her a slow wave. He walked out the door into the early morning sunlight. Kiara watched him go, wishing him the best, hoping that he would overcome whatever it was that troubled him so. Heart heavy, she turned away, returning to life at normal.

******

Wynn closed his eyes as he breathed in deeply, filling his lungs with the crisp morning air. He stood on a hill across the river from the stairs that led up to Kakariko Village, gazing across Hyrule Field. The rolling plain was dotted with trees, small hills rising and falling in waves. In the distant he could see the walls of Lon Lon Ranch, home to his old friends Talon and Malon. He thought for a second of visiting them, of going to them for guidance. He froze as he thought of telling them about what had happened to his parents. They had long been friends of his family, and he knew they would demand to help him. No, he concluded. This was something he would have to do on his own. He wouldn't endanger them.

Now, his concern was money. Seron's exorbitant price would require a lot of it, a lot that he didn't have. Now, he knew what he needed, for whom, and why… it was the how that caused the problem. Wynn refused to beg, and the idea of borrowing the money, while more acceptable, rankled him. Stealing was out of the question. Working for the money would take too long. 

Wynn chuckled darkly as he remembered the previous day. Earning money was probably easiest if done by doing something you excelled at. Unconsciously, he ran his fingers up the hilt of his sword. He wasn't exactly accustomed to fighting, but he did have some experience killing lesser monsters, Tekitites and the like. Plus, he father had trained him in the sword ever since he was a child. Truth be told, he had surpassed his teacher; Baro had been uncomfortable using the blade, but Wynn might as well have been born with it in his hand.

He remembered the map of Hyrule his father had kept in his study, pondering places that might have need of a sword-for-hire. Kakariko was in no dire need; he had found that out well enough. Hyrule Marketplace was clear. Lon Lon was safe, and any money he accepted from Talon would feel more like a gift than something he earned. Goron Village was a possibility, but even the money he earned squashing Tekitites wouldn't be enough.

His mind wandered to the parts of the world he was less familiar with. Zora's Domain he skipped over; the Zora's weren't always welcoming of visitors. The Lost Woods were out; those murky depths weren't any place to look for heaps of rupees. He smiled slowly as he remembered the fanciful tales his mother once told him of the desert Gerudos, thieves and raiders that supposedly had hidden heaps of wealth deep inside the Spirit Temple. Perhaps they were only childhood myths, but it was as good a lead as any. He nodded, relieved, and hefted his pack higher on his back. Time to be off.

"Boo."

Wynn whirled, one hand darting for his sword, the other ready to lash out at any assailants. Instead, he found a familiar, smirking face. The red-haired man from the village stood nearby, watching him with arms crossed. His arrogant smile grew as he noticed Wynn's unease. "Jumpy, aren't we?"

"Boo yourself," Wynn growled. He took a moment to further appraise the man. The most noticeable thing about his was his bright red hair. At the moment, it was definitely disheveled; it looked as if the man had spent the night on the ground, from the occasional stick tangled in. Beneath the fiery snarls was a tanned face, set at a jaunty angle. Wynn would have called the man's smile insolent, if he hadn't noticed the unease deep inside the man's brown eyes. The man wore a thick reinforced brown tunic, which was scratched and frayed. His arms were as tanned as his face, and lined here and there with the occasional white scar. The muscles in them bulged; the man was muscular and thickly built. Strapped to his back was a long-handled axe, which was in a much better state of repair than the rest of him. A bag of supplies was flung over one shoulder, and a pouch at his side bulged with papers.

"The nerves come with the job. Trust me, I know." He stuck out a hand. "The name's Tane."

Wynn considered the hand, looking from it to Tane's face and back again. The other man didn't show any sign of impatience, keeping the hand where it was. Sighing, Wynn clasped the other's wrist. "Wynn."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Wynn," Tane drawled, sketching a mocking bow.

"Likewise," Wynn mumbled, crossing his arms. "Although we've met before. Last night at the village gates, if I recall correctly."

"Oh, that. We all get in hurries sometimes, y'know, and-"

"You were running from someone. A big ugly gang of someones."

Tane waved it away. "Enough about that. Down to business."

"Business?"

"Ahem…yes. I heard about your little job at the old Marketplace – word gets around quick around here – and I liked what I heard. Y'see, I'm in the market for a partner. It's always nice to have someone to watch your back in our line of work, and- "

"And that would be?"

Tane stopped, blinking. "Well, err…"

Wynn raised an eyebrow as Tane recovered his composure. The red-head scratched his chin, and then a slow grin worked its way onto his face. "I take it that means you've never heard of me. I am, after all, famous around these parts, and others. I am the great warrior, the fierce brawler; I am Tane the Terrifying. In short," he bowed again, flourishing magnificently, "I am the greatest soldier-for-hire this side of Gerudo Valley. My friend, I could tell tales that would-"

"A mercenary?" Wynn demanded. Visions of a burning farmhouse exploded in his mind. He racked his memories for any glimpse of this man's face, and his hand tightened its grip on his sword.

"Well, to be blunt, yes. Although I prefer not to use that term; its almost insulting. But, yes, I am a mercenary, and a good one. Granted, work has been a little slow lately," his stomach roared to punctuate that, and Tane blushed slightly, "so that's why I'm looking into expanding my business. Mercenary AND treasure hunter." He patted the pouch of papers at his side confidently. "There's a lot of lost treasures out in the world today, just waiting for some brave soul to swoop down and take them and spend them. As a matter of fact, I have a map right here that has great promise; a hidden treasure of the Kokiri, lost deep within the forests just east of here." He drew an old parchment from the pouch, but didn't unroll it. "This, my friend, is worth thousands of rupees to the right man. And that man is me. And you, if you'll just come along and keep an eye out for trouble. You come along, and when we recover the loot, you get a full quarter. That's generous-"

"Half," Wynn said, "or you can just carry a mirror around and use _it_ to watch your back."

Tane's face fell at that, but finally nodded reluctantly. "Half," he agreed, his voice catching at the word.

"Very well then," Wynn said, lowering his hand from his sword. The two set off for the forests near the horizon, making a reasonable pace. 

Tane reached out and clapped Wynn on the back. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"Don't touch me."

"Ah….sure."

And the sun climbed higher over Hyrule Field.

Author's Note: Just a quick notice, and an apology. Sadly, chapters for anything I am writing have been coming along slower than ever, mostly thanks to that wretched game Everquest. It doesn't help that this revision is turning out to be exponentially bigger than the original version; this chapter was originally just a fraction of the events in chapter two. With all the stuff I'm adding later...let's just say that this will be one heck of a story to try to print. In any case, I just wanted to let everyone know that I AM still working on this...just slowly. Thanks for reading.

~Wynn Pendragon


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Deep in the Lost Woods, a part of the world that was still ruled by nature's laws, a tree loomed over the clearing that it had stood in, alone, for many years. A short distance away, the other trees grew in thick, impassable tangles. Here, though, there was only one tree. It guarded a patch of waist-high grass, over which fluttered dozens of butterflies.

Far below the clearing was what it really guarded. Cradled by the roots of the ancient tree was a cave, one which had not seen visitors in many years. Small luminescent globes floated through the air, casting their organic light over the natural surface of the cave walls, the smooth natural obtrusions lining the walls casting deep shadows. At the back of the cave, which was large enough in itself to comfortably house at least one person, was a passageway which led further into the earth.

The passage wasn't very long. Soon enough it came to another room, this one far less spacious. One not in a charitable mood might call it cramped, but others might prefer 'cozy'. Either way, it was too small to be home to most people.

But she didn't care.

She yawned, stretching her muscles luxuriously. Rising from her bed, she stood, giving an unconcerned glance to her surroundings. She was in no danger here, she knew; this was her home. Still, something felt different. Had she thought about it, she might have compared it to the feeling one gets right before someone unseen touches you, the subconscious expectation of something that you know will happen in every way but logically. However, that feeling wasn't something she was accustomed to, since it had been a long time since she had last had visitors.

'Visitors…yes. Someone is coming.'

For some reason, that thought annoyed her as much as it filled her with anxious expectation. The forest above had long been filled with an oppressive evil. Nothing had ever bothered her here, of course, but it was just out of reach, searching for her, she knew. She didn't fear for her life, however.

Reaching out one hand, she smiled. A soft green glow shimmered into life above her palm, and she considered it confidently. Yes, visitors. And if they came looking for trouble…

They would come looking in the right place.

******

The shadows of the overhanging trees fell over Wynn and Tane as they entered the Kokiri Forest. Not far behind them, the light of day fell on the grasses of the field, but here, the thick branches blocked all sign of the sky, save small gaps, through which the sunlight speared down to the ground. The two men glanced nervously into the sylvan shadows, fingering their blades. Before them hung a wooden bridge, the path that led into the Kokiri Village. Both knew the dark legends that surrounded this place, tales of people wandering into the forest, never to be seen again.

"Y'know, I'd never thought about the stories about this place, back when I was comfy and safe back at Kakariko," Tane mused.

Wynn smirked over at his partner. "Scared already?"

"Of course not," Tane blustered. "Stories are no match for this." He patted the ax on his back.

"No, but the truth behind them might be." Wynn drew his sword. "Since I'm supposed to watch your back, you take point."

Tane glared at him. "I can already tell working with you is going to be a pain in-"

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."

Pulling the ax off his back and twirling it through a quick loop before slamming it into his other hand, Tane stepped onto the bridge. Cautiously making his way across the creaking bridge, followed closely by an alert Wynn, he looked into the hollowed log at the other end. The fallen tree was easily big enough for them to walk through without ducking, and the way it was laying was evidence of someone putting it there on purpose, as a gateway into whatever lay beyond. Tane stepped into it, squinting as he tried to peer through. Shrugging, he moved on, glancing behind him just once to make sure Wynn was close by.

The two stepped out of the log into a village. Amazed, they stared all around them, not believing their eyes. The entire village was formed from the forest around it. Houses were made of hollowed out stumps, stepping stones led across pools of water, paths meandered through expanses of grass. Every bit of it looked completely natural, untouched by man or tools. It was almost as if the whole village had grown into place.

"The doors, the houses…they're all kid-sized," Tane pointed out.

"Yeah, and no signs of their inhabitants. I say we keep it that way."

Tane nodded, pulling a map out of the pouch at his side. "Right on, cap'n. Let's see…the map says-"

"Halt!"

The pair whirled around in shock at the voice that had come from right behind them. For an instant, they looked around, confused, until they looked down. Not far away was a kid, dressed all in green. A green cap lay across unruly red hair, almost orange, that concealed the eyes of the young man. His mouth, however, was set in a stern frown. "You're not supposed to be here."

Tane nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, O.K. We'll be leaving now."

Wynn was occupied, however, looking down in shock at the young girl, dressed similar to the boy minus the cap, who was holding on to his sleeve. "All visitors should be taken to the Deku Sprout! He'll know what to do!"

Tane let out a shrill 'eep' as he noticed several more of the children right beside him. He batted away their hands as they tried to clutch to him. "The stories, Wynn! They probably want to feed us to it!"

Wynn scowled down at the young girl tugging at his sleeve. "I know, Tane, I know." He yanked at his sleeve. The girl glared at him, and tugged back just as fiercely.

"Let me go!" Tane said, backing away from the swelling mob of children. "I don't want to be tree food! Um…hey, look, a fire!" Tane shouted. The children gave him a suspicious frown before looking in the direction of his frantic pointing. Taking the chance, he sprinted past them, dashing for the outskirts of the village. "This way, Wynn!"

"If you'll excuse me," Wynn said civilly, prying the girl's fingers off his tunic. She shouted at him as he took off after Tane, and the crowd was not far behind as Wynn chased his partner. The red-headed man was busy climbing a vine-encrusted cliff wall, desperate to escape the situation he was in. Wynn scrambled up right behind him, throwing himself over the top of the wall. He lay there, trying to catch his breath, as Tane looked down on the furious children.

"Sorry! You'll have to find someone else to feed to your sprout!" Tane shouted cheerfully, waving down at them. They scowled up at him, but made no move to climb the wall.

"Don't antagonize them," Wynn groaned. "We have to get out of here somehow, and that looks like the only way."

Tane shrugged. "They don't run very fast."

"Not when they're occupied! You left me back there!"

Tane smiled arrogantly. "I figured you could handle her."

Wynn sighed. "We really have to work on this whole 'teamwork' thing."

Nearby was another hollowed-out log, this one leading into the murky forest beyond the edges of the village. Paying more caution to what lay behind them than what was ahead, they walked through. When they came out, their unease increased dramatically. Here, the trees were even thicker, blocking almost all light. The gaps between the trees were almost too narrow to squeeze through, in the best of cases. Wynn surveyed the forest warily as Tane consulted the map. Something felt wrong here.

"This way," Tane declared, pointing to a small gap in the foliage. Wynn followed as Tane moved through the forest, their path twisting and turning through the tangled growth. Even though it seemed like an eternity, the small clearing they stopped at could not have been far from where they had entered the forest. As they stopped to rest a moment, Wynn concluded that he understood the truth behind all the dark stories about these woods. If someone got lost here, it would take a miracle for them to find their way back to civilization. The best place in the world to hide something, he believed, save the difficulty in finding it when you came back for it.

Wynn blinked as Tane plopped down on the ground, pulling a biscuit out of his bag of supplies. "You sure this is the best place to stop for lunch?"

"Who said anything about lunch? I'm just trying to figure out this blasted map. I swear, if we get out of here, it'll be by luck alone. At least none of those brats would come in here."

"And what does that say about this place?" Wynn asked, squatting down beside him.

Tane shook his head at his partner's pessimism. "Kids are lazy. They just didn't want to climb that wall."

"Right. Lazy. Figure out that map yet?" 

Climbing to his feet with a weary groan, Tane dusted off the seat of his pants with one hand and cleaned the crumbs off his mouth with the back of the hand holding the map. "Dead ahead, and then sharp left, I think. Should be another clearing nearby, a bigger one."

Wynn nodded, standing. "And then we get the treasure."

"Right. Lots of rupees, all around. Now, just up here-"

"Stop!"

Tane grimaced at the high-pitched voice. "Not another one!"

Another red-haired boy walked up to the two, stepping out from behind a nearby tree. This one wore his cap higher, showing a freckled face and narrowed eyes. He walked with fists on his hips, chest jutted out cockily. "No one is allowed past here. Saria said so."

Wynn clapped his partner on the back. "You handle this one."

Tane groaned piteously. "Listen, boy-"

"I am Mido, boss of the Kokiri! You listen to _me_!"

"Two of a kind," Wynn murmured, turning his attention aside. He noticed a cluster of nuts on the ground, and knelt to examine them. As he tried to open one, a brilliant light shot out, nearly blinding him. He closed his hand over it, nodding to himself. Deku nuts were common enough, and living in a forest, along with his father's lessons, had taught him to consequences of cracking one open. The light inside the nuts could easily blind a person for several moments. Useful for pranks, but not much else.

He turned back to Tane and the boy. By now, Tane had picked Mido up by the back of his collar and was dangling him in the air, waving a lecturing finger in front of the boy's nose. Mido was windmilling, flailing about in a valiant effort to sock Tane right in the face. Wynn shook his head in exasperation, standing up and looking about. This could take a while, he knew.

It was the unnaturally cold breeze that caught his attention first. Suddenly, the forest seemed darker, more hostile. The air was silent, except for the branches rustling in the strong wind. Wynn's hand fell to his sword, and he peered about, searching for the danger. "Tane," he said, not turning away from his search. "Company."

Tane blinked, dropping the boy. "Where?" He looked around in confusion. "I don't see anybody."

The mercenary looked down at Mido. The boy had gone pale, and was moving away from the trees ahead of them. With a loud gulp, he backflipped, and vanished into nothingness. Tane gaped in the direction the boy had fled, and then turned back to Wynn. "What's going on?"

Metal sang as Wynn freed his blade from his sheath. "There!"

Tane turned, grasping his ax, as three forms worked their way out of the forest. All three were ragged, the clothes that still clutched to them in strips, the armor rusted. The jagged blades they held and the bucklers guarding their left arms were still serviceable, however. Tane gasped as he looked into their eyes…or where eyes once had been. Empty sockets glared back as the three skeletons emerged from the forest, looking about menacingly. "Stalfos," Tane breathed, freeing his ax.

"Why won't dead things stay that way? Wynn growled, stepping into a battle-ready stance.

The lead Stalfos motioned to the one on his left. "Take that one," he gasped, the breathless voice chilling the men. He pointed his sword straight at Tane. "We will have the other."

"No giving peace a chance? Maybe even resting in peace?" Tane questioned, spinning his ax.

"Doesn't look likely." Wynn said grimly. "Two on me; you'd better finish yours off quick."

The Stalfos advanced silently, fleshless smiles directed toward their opponents. Tane charged in with a yell, meeting his opponent in a dash. The skeleton slashed at his ribs, but Tane swatted the strike aside with the blade of his ax. He let the motion continue, bring the butt of the ax towards the skull, but the shield met it. He reversed his swing, bring the head of the ax up past the Stalfos's defenses and knocking the unnatural creature back.

The Stalfos would not let him keep the advantage, however. It leapt forward, bringing its sword over its head in a viscous strike. Tane caught it on the heft of the ax, but the buckler caught him in the stomach. He grunted, doubling over, and the Stalfos chuckled as it raised its blade. Desperately, Tane charged, bowling the creature over. "Don't get up," he growled, bringing the ax over with two hands and onto the chest of the skeleton. Bone chips flew through the air as the chest shattered.

Tane smirked as he walked away, heading towards his partner's battle. He stopped suddenly as he heard a chuckle behind him. He whirled, gasping as he saw the rather battered skeleton rise from the ground. The chuckle turned into shrieking laughter as Tane's eyes widened.

"Oh no you don't!" Tane shouted, bringing his ax around in a horizontal slash that cut off the skeleton's laughter by slamming through the skull. "Stay down this time!" Tane roared as the corpse collapsed.

Wynn, meanwhile, was in more dire straits. The Stalfos circled him, searching for a weakness. Wynn stood between them, looking from one to the other. "Do you want to come on, or should I make the first move?"

One of the monsters laughed. "Come on, little boy, if you think you can!"

"Very well," Wynn said calmly, closing his eyes. He flung his left hand down, throwing the nut he had held. The flash of light blinded the two skeletons, who tried to shield their empty sockets a moment too late. Wynn did not hesitate, charging at the one that had spoken. He whipped his blade through the monster's neck as he passed, then turned, bringing the sword back and down, catching the spine where the small of the back would have been. He reversed his blade, and dropped to one knee, driving the sword through the skull when it hit the ground.

The other monster, however, was the leader, and wiser than its fellow. It had nearly turned away when the nut collided with the ground, and wasn't incapacitated nearly long enough for Wynn to stand again. It checked him to the ground, slamming its shield into Wynn's forehead. The man fell onto his back, fighting dizziness. He could hear the monster's grating chuckle as it stood over him. "You're a smart one. And arrogant. You'll serve him just as well when you're dead, I think."

"Nobody's gonna die that isn't already that way!" Tane yelled, slamming into the Stalfos. He bore the creature to the ground, knocking the sword from its hand in the process. 

The monster hissed as it looked up at the man. "You annoy me." It brought its bony fist across Tane jaw, and then shoved the limp body aside. It put its hands on the ground, moving to stand.

"And you talk too much for someone who's supposed to be dead," Wynn commented, stepping on the Stalfos' wrist.

The monster grabbed the calf of Wynn's leg with fingers like claws. "You left your sword over there. Bad decision. You're unarmed."

"So are you, if you hadn't noticed."

"Ah, yes. It just means I'll have to tear your heart out with my bare hands."

"I'm afraid not," Wynn said coldly, reaching down. Snaking his fingers into the eye sockets for a better grip, he wrenched to skull from the Stalfos' neck.

This did not deter the monster. The hand tightened on Wynn's leg, and the skull laughed. "You'll have to do better than that, boy!"

"No, I don't." He motioned over to where Tane was standing, leaning heavily on his ax and rubbing his jaw. "Ready, partner?"

Tane nodded, smiling ferally. "Oh yeah."

"You'll pay for this!" The Stalfos shrieked.

"I'm sure," Wynn said, tossing the skull underhanded. It arced through the air, until Tane's ax met it, shattering the skull into a thousand shards. The grip on Wynn's leg fell away as the skeleton fell apart, freed from the enchantment that had brought it back to life.

Tane laughed as he smacked Wynn on the back. "That'll teach them, won't it?"

Wynn smirked as he booted the crumbling hand halfway across the clearing. "I hope so. Come on. Let's do this."

Seconds later, the clearing was empty, except for three shattered skeletons spread across the ground. The cold wind that had marked their arrival blew over them once, and then moved on, out of the forest.

Tane and Wynn came to their destination shortly thereafter. The area was disturbingly clear of the tangle that had dominated the rest of the forest. Instead, a tree, long dead, stood as a sentinel above a patch of waist-high grasses. The pair surveyed the scene for several moments, looking for any more trouble. They didn't find it; besides the butterflies floating above the grass, they were the only thing moving in the clearing.

"So…now what?" Wynn questioned.

Tane blinked. "There should be a cave somewhere around here…"

Wynn groaned. "Somewhere? A bit more specific, please."

Tane consulted the map again, scratching his head. "I think the map indicates the center of this area. But…there's a tree in the way…"

Wynn smirked, crossing his arms. "Why, that there is. Why don't you put that ax of yours to good use, hmm?"

Tane nodded, replacing the map in his pouch. "Sounds easy enough." Spitting on his hands, he grabbed the heft of his ax and stepped up to the impediment. He took a deep breath, and drew back, holding the ax far down its length. Roaring, he took a mighty swing at the tree.

The ax slammed into the tree with a ringing 'clank'. Not believing his eyes, Tane stared at the unscathed wood where he had struck. "Not even a dent…"

Stepping up beside his partner, Wynn raised an eyebrow. "Having trouble?"

"You could say that. Look at it. Not hurt in the least. That cut should've splintered this old chunk of termite-ridden wood." Tane reached out, poking the part of the tree he had struck. "No wonder! This tree is as hard as rock!"

Wynn blinked in confusion. "Hunh?" He reached out, feeling along the tree. "Feels normal enough to me. You're just-"

He cut off as he noticed the bright light shining from his side, where his sword was buckled. Looking down, he squeezed his eyes shut at the brilliant white light that was coming from the hilt of his sword. "What the…"

A loud rumble emanated from the tree before him. Wynn stumbled forward as it moved away from his hand, grating backwards. The man looked down, into the hole the tree had covered just a moment ago. "What did I do?"

"Good question," Tane murmured, staring at his partner.

Whirling, Wynn faced Tane. "Where did you get that map?" he demanded.

"I bought it from a guy in Kakariko. He always has a bunch of odd stuff, and doesn't know the value of any of it. I saw this old map and the letter that came with it-"

"Letter?"

"Yeah. He said he found them both in Hyrule Marketplace. He's been accused more than once of having sticky fingers, so 'found' is an interesting way to put it, I'm sure. But he said he got it a couple of years before Hyrule Castle fell and has just hung on to it ever since. I'd believe him, on that at least."

"Do you have the letter?"

"Ah…yeah. I think." Tane rummaged around in his pouch. "Yeah. Here it is. Nothing important; just someone asking someone else to take care of his treasure." Tane's mouth split in a wide smile. "It was intended for some 'Baro' guy; his loss."

Wynn snatched the paper from Tane's hands. "Baro!" He scanned the paper. "This was addressed to my father!" He read under his breath, eyes quickly roaming the page.

_Dear Baro_:

_It has been many years since I last had the chance to speak with you_, _my friend_. _ Times have passed, our worlds have changed_. _I am hardly the man you once knew_. _I know you have thought me dead for the past eight years_. _ Only a few have known otherwise_, _and I made the decision to stay out of the conflicts for their sake_. _Now, though_, _it is time to emerge_.

_I am afraid you most likely will never see me again_. _The time has come for me to visit an old friend_, _one I thought I had killed eight years ago_. _I now know Devain still wanders this world_. _He must die for what he took from me_. _I will avenge my wife_, _my daughter_. _The Alterians have constructed a final outpost on our land_, _beyond __ Death Mountain_. _I will destroy them for their transgressions against our people_, _our world_, _and myself_. _They will soon see the wrath of one of Hyrule's greatest wizards_,_ and it shall be the last thing they witness_. _I refuse to pass from this world until Devain precedes me_.

_ I have one final request for you_, _my greatest friend_. _My greatest treasure_, _ the only good result of Devain's vile strike against the Zora_'_s that claimed both Zarillia and our daughter_, _will soon be sheltered deep within the Lost Woods_. _The woman that saved my life after the Alterian attack_, _one of the brightest lights of my life for the past six years_, _left this world three days ago_. _She was stolen from me by an Alterian scout_, _an apprentice mage sent to investigate the magics of the forest_. _The fool paid for harming her in a way that left him screaming as he died_. _So will the man that did the same to Zarillia years ago_.

_I go now to meet Devain_. _I know I face an entire fortress of Alterians_. _I know I face their creations_. _I know I will face_ _Krite_, _a man with powers far beyond my own_. _I know I am to die_. _But not before I take Devain with me_! 

_ Now_, _I beg of you_. _See to my last precious light_. _See to my legacy_. _See to the last good thing I leave this world_. _Please_.

_Your comrade_,

_ Vailen_

Wynn frowned down at the letter in hands. "I remember father mentioning Vailen. An elementalist, and one of Hyrule's strongest mages. And one of his best friends. But Vailen died a couple of years after I was born. Father never said how."

Tane shrugged. "Don't guess it matters, right? And since its obvious the letter never reached your old man, the treasure is still there, most likely. I mean, if it was meant for your father, your entitled to it…well, half, at least."

Wynn handed the letter back to Tane. He bit his lip as he pondered this new mystery, shaking his head. "Money wasn't important to father. And not to Vailen, judging by what Baro said of him. What could it be?" he muttered.

"Only one way to find out!" Tane announced cheerily. He looked down into the hole cautiously. "Err. I can't see the bottom. I wonder how deep it is?"

"Don't know. You first."

Tane glowered at Wynn as the other man bowed, sweeping his arm towards the pit. "How…generous…of you."

Tane stepped to the edge again, lowering himself down by gripping onto the edges. He stretched out, trying to feel the bottom, but his flailing feet caught only air. He sighed, trying to muster the courage to let go. However, he didn't get the chance; the soft ground at the edge gave way, and Tane plummeted.

"Yaaaaaaaaaa-" Wynn winced at the 'thud' as Tane hit the bottom. "OUCH!"

"Great," Wynn grumbled, looking over the edge. "That sounded painful." Taking a deep breath, he counted to three, then dove in after Tane.

He hit the ground rolling. When he finally tumbled onto his side, he groaned as the pain from the dozen bruises he had just racked up hit him. He forced himself to his knees, then to his feet, not even bothering to dust himself off. He looked up, and up, to the light shining from the roof of the cave they were in. "That was a long fall."

"No kidding!" Tane moaned, rubbing his sore tailbone. "Next time, _you_ go first."

Wynn looked around, checking for danger. The pair was in a fairly large cave. Gnarled roots lined the walls, shaping the cave into a spherical shape. Nearby was a tunnel, which led further down, most likely into another room of the cave. There was no obvious way to return the way they had come, and the walls weren't rough enough to easily climb.

"Now what?" Tane asked, scratching his head.

Wynn nodded at the passageway nearby. "I say we-"

"Now, you put down your weapons. And start telling my who you are and what you are doing here, for starters."

The two men turned around. A girl stepped out of the shadows behind them, not enough that they could see her features clearly. A mischievous smile was the only thing they could see of her face. Wynn's first thought was that the girl was one of the children from the village. It didn't take him long, however, to notice she was too tall for someone that age, even though she was still shorter than he.

Tane chuckled as he drew his ax. Wynn had far more tact, merely holding to the hilt of his sword without drawing. "Sorry, sister, but its traditional for the person with the bigger weapon to ask questions first. Who are _you_?" Tane demanded, resting his ax on his shoulder.

"I don't think that's any of your business," the girl said quietly, stepping from the shadows. "But with that attitude, you can call me 'trouble'." Her brown eyes flashed darkly as she threw out a wrist toward Tane.

"What the-?" Tane yelped as a vine sprouted from the wall and wrapped itself around the heft of his ax. The plant yanked, and the weapon flew from his grasp. Tane eyed it, and then glared at the girl. "I don't know how you did that, but you had best give it back."

"I think not." She motioned again. This time, arm-thick vines thrust from the ground at Tane's feet, wrapping themselves around his chest and waist. He yelled as they picked him up, slamming him into the opposite wall of the cave, higher than Wynn could easily reach. More vines burst from the wall, shackling him to the wall.

"And now for you-" the girl began. She turned to face Wynn, but froze as his sword rested against her throat. She glanced at the blade fearfully, and then up at him, her eyes full of resentment and anger.

"No thanks," Wynn said calmly. "No quick movements, no tricks, got me?"

The girl nodded, silent still.

"Now, let him down."

"As you wish." She motioned slowly. The vines retracted, dropping Tane to the ground. The man's yelp was cut off as he hit the ground face-first.

"I should have been more specific, I guess," Wynn sighed. He stepped back, keeping his sword directed at the girl. He looked her over, intrigued. The girl wore a green dress, much like the kind worn by the children of the village they had escaped. It was belted at the waist, and ended just below her knees. The sleeves came only halfway to her elbows, and the only other thing she wore on her arms was a wooden bracelet, decorated with green stones.

"Your name?" Wynn asked, meeting her eyes. They were brown, and by now clouded with anger. Her face was gently rounded, and shoulder-length brown hair framed her face. Her lips were tightly pressed as she stared at Wynn, inspecting him as he returned the favor.

"I am Fami, trespasser. Who are you, that invades my home?" she demanded imperiously.

Wynn chuckled softly at that. "I am Wynn."

"And me, I am 'trying to keep himself from throwing you at a wall to see how you like it.' But my friends call me Tane," said the mercenary, who had already reclaimed his ax, and glared at the girl.

"I'm honored, Wynn and Trying. Leave."

Tane stared incredulously at Fami. "She doesn't seem to understand who is in charge here."

Wynn shook his head, his sword not wavering an inch. "We came here for something. Give it to us, and we'll leave."

"Yeah! Fork over the money!"

"Money?" Fami seemed confused. "I have no money."

Tane gaped. "But…no money? You sure?"

She glared at him. "I'm quite certain, you buffoon. Does it look like I have a lot of money?"

"She does live in a cave," Wynn pointed out.

"Well, what did you do with all of it?" Tane demanded.

Fami screamed in frustration. "There never has been any money here! Can't you understand that?"

"But…the letter…"

"Fami. Will you promise not to attack us if I lower my weapon?"

She gave Wynn a considering glance. "I will not attack you."

Wynn did not need Tane, who was frantically motioning to him, to point out the loophole in that statement. "Both of us."

Fami sighed. "Very well. Neither you nor the idiot."

"Isn't this lovely?!? All this way, and all I get out of it is a sore butt and a headache! Stupid, lying letter!" Tane roared, pulling the paper from his pouch and preparing to rip it to shreds. 

"Wait, Tane!" Wynn shouted, snatching the paper from his partner.

"What letter? What are you talking about?" Fami demanded, staring at the item in question.

Wynn gave her a considering glance. "A letter from a man named Vailen to Baro, my father. He never received it. The map that led us here was attached to it."

"Vailen! That's…Let me see that! I beg you!"

Wynn hesitated, then handed her the letter. She instantly began reading, all attention on it. Tane, however, took this opportunity to begin pressuring his partner. "Its time to leave, Wynn. No rupees here, no reason for us to be here. I hate to leave empty-handed, after all we've been through; those psycho kids, the skeletons, _ her_," Wynn noticed that his ally obviously felt Fami was more problematic than the Stalfos, and questioned the man's priorities, "but I say we get out of here before anything else happens!"

"You want to leave?" Wynn asked, raising an eyebrow. Shaking his head at Tane's emphatic nod, Wynn sighed. "And we do that…how?"

Tane blinked, then looked straight up, at the distant entrance to the cave. "Oh."

"Yeah. Forgot that, didn't you?"

Tane's eyes widened as he considered the implications of this. "You mean we're stuck down here with…with…with her?!? No!"

Wynn's response was cut off as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned, looking into the uncertain eyes of Fami. "Yes?"

"You…you're Baro's son?" Wynn nodded. "Father- I mean, Vailen said Baro was a good man. He said I could trust him. Does that mean I can trust you?" She bit her lip as she waited on him to answer.

Wynn paused, uncertain. "I…I guess so."

Fami glanced back down at the letter. "Yes…Do you know if Vailen…if he?"

Wynn shook his head. "Baro never told me. We thought he had died years before he sent that letter. Baro might know…but, he's…" Wynn swallowed. "We just can't ask him."

Fami nodded, turning her head slightly and squeezing her eyes shut. "I…see."

"My condolences. Can we figure a way out of here, Wynn?"

Wynn sighed at his partner's blunt insistence. "I'm working on it."

Fami walked away from the pair, towards the passageway. "I'll be back, in a moment. I need to…take care of something."

Wynn watched her go silently. He knew how she felt. He wished he could ease her pain, but knew there was nothing he could do. Besides, he reminded himself, he had problems of his own.

"A one and a two and a three- hoo-ha!" Tane clawed at the wall, trying to find a handhold. His feet had hardly left the ground when the handhold gave way, and he fell back to the ground. Tane frowned at Wynn, motioning with his chin towards the wall. "You could help, y'know."

Wynn crossed his arms. "But you're doing so well on your own."

"Hardy har har."

A futile while later, Fami returned to the room the pair was in. Tane had not managed to make it much father, but still went on with unconquerable tenacity. Wynn had causally plopped down onto the ground, and was watching his partner as he munched on some of the rations he had bought in the village. The girl now wore a brown leather satchel slung over her shoulder, and her eyes, slightly reddened, seemed full of doubt.

Wynn noticed what she was carrying. So did Tane, a moment later. "What's that?" the mercenary demanded, stabbing a dirt-covered finger in the direction of the bag.

"My belongings. Things I will need on the journey."

"Journey?" Wynn asked. "Where are you going?"

She gave him a small smile. "I don't know. Where are you going?"

Tane's eyes widened at her statement. "Oh _no_ you don't! Don't even _think_ it!"

She gave him a cold smirk. "Fine. I'll leave you here, then. See how you like sitting down here for eight years or so before someone comes to get _you_."

Sighing, Wynn shrugged, spreading his hands. "I don't think we can get out without her."

"And I don't think I want to get out with her! I have no intentions of…of babysitting this-"

"Then stay. Come on, Wynn," Fami said, too sweetly, as she pushed past the gaping mercenary. Wynn gave a sheepish grin to his partner as he followed her to the center of the room.

"I have a _bad_ feeling about this. If I'm right about her, she was dead on with that 'trouble' comment," Tane muttered, moving next to the other two.

"Oh, so you decided to come with us, did you?" Fami asked, her words honeyed.

Tane glowered at her. "I won't leave my partner with a witch like you, thank you very much."

The girl placed her hands on her hips, glaring daggers at the mercenary. "Apologize, or I'll leave you here!"

Wynn coughed, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "I'd like to leave today, sometime, if you please. Perhaps you can have this argument at a more convenient time? Maybe when I'm not around?"

"Very well," the girl said sullenly. She gestured grandly, her hands glowing a brilliant green.

For a long moment, long enough to inspire Tane to smirk at her, nothing happened. Then, the ground began to rumble, shaking the trio. A sprout erupted from the ground in the center of them, climbing swiftly towards the light shining out of the entrance of the cave far above. The three stepped back, Wynn and Tane watching the plant's growth with wonder, Fami with satisfaction. Moments later, a plant easily as thick as the two men stood in the center of the cave, and reached up into the light of the day outside.

"Up we go," Fami motioned, before reaching out and slipping her fingers into a crevice in the plant. "An easy enough climb, for me at least. Think you're up to it, Tane?" Her too-sweet smile made the mercenary scowl at her and Wynn roll his eyes.

Tane rolled up his sleeves, and nodded, gauging the plant. "A bad, _bad_ feeling," he whispered, grabbing onto the vine. "Catch me if you can," he shouted, climbing up the vine with all of his strength, racing to the top.

"Hey!" Fami yelled, scrambling to catch up.

Wynn reached the top after the two had already climbed out and collapsed on the ground, panting and shooting evil glares at each other. He didn't know who had won their little race; he didn't rightly care, either. 

"Any time you two are ready," Wynn said, looking from one to the other. He hadn't even broken a sweat from the climb.

"I'm fine, but perhaps the little girl needs a break?"

Fami glared menacingly at Tane. "You don't look fine. You look like you just ran a marathon."

"Yeah, but I'm in shape. You can't have gotten much exercise in that cave. Certainly doesn't look like you did."

Wynn winced at Fami's outraged scream. He dove between them, trying desperately to keep the young woman from grasping Tane's throat. The mercenary gave her a wink and a wave. "Wynn, let me at him. Just one second. That's all I need."

"Fami, either calm down, or I'll have to carry you out of here to keep you away from him."

She looked scandalized. "You wouldn't!"

Wynn said nothing. His slight smirk and raised eyebrow said more than words could.

"Very well," she huffed, crossing her arms and pointedly looking away from Wynn.

"Tane? Ready to lead us out of this place?"

The mercenary fumbled with his pouch. "Erm…it was right here, I swear…"

"Bah. Who needs him?" Fami said, walking toward the tangled undergrowth nearby. She gave Wynn a confident smile, then pointed at the plants, her hand giving off an emerald glow. The tangles and briars shifted, trembled, and then completely moved, laying down or shifting to the side. In moments, a path stretched straight out, completely clear of obstructions.

"That works," Wynn noted, impressed.

"I think I preferred the map," Tane grumbled.

The walk through the forest took much less time and effort on the return trip, thanks to Fami's powers. Wynn and Fami strolled along, but Tane keep tripping over conveniently upraised vines and roots that hadn't been there when the others had walked by. With every fall, Fami's smile got bigger, and Tane's knuckles turned whiter.

Finally, just before they reached the forest's exit, Tane pulled the other man aside. "Please, Wynn. Just one punch. Just one. I might even get lucky and knock her out. I mean, we got her this far. Please, please, just stand out of the way."

Wynn stepped back, shocked. "But she's a girl!"

"So?"

The brown-haired man blinked. "You can't hit a girl."

"Says who?"

Wynn was clearly confused. "Everyone!"

"Not me!"

Wynn considered this, then shook his head. "I won't let you hit her."

"You and your stodgy morals."

Fami watched the pair, impatiently tapping her foot. Wynn walked back over to her; Tane looked around for a convenient rock. Not finding one, he followed the pair, grumbling all the way.

Moments later, they left the Lost Woods and entered the village. Tane and Wynn stayed cautiously away from the cliff edge overlooking the town; Fami strolled right up to it. Looking over, she sighed. "It hasn't changed one bit. Not a thing different since…since…"

"You used to live here?"

Fami nodded, smiling back at Wynn. "A long time ago, yes. I lived here with my parents, and my friends. But then…"

Tane stepped up to the edge, warily peering over. "A village full of crazed, pushy, under-grown brats. No surprise you come from here."

Wynn was there in an instant, slapping a hand over both their mouths. "One shout, one scream, one loud noise, and the whole village is on us. Quiet."

Fami pulled his hand away, shaking her head. "These are my friends. They wouldn't bother me."

"Sure they would recognize you after all the years?"

Fami's mouth formed a small 'o' as she considered Wynn's point.

"So, we get out of here all sneaky-like. Any one of them sees us, I'll bash him, and we run."  
Wynn nodded. "Sounds simple. Simple plans usually work."

Fami grinned. "A simple plan from a simple mind."

Tane turned to Wynn. "If she really was the treasure, you can take my half. If you want her. I sure don't."

Wynn scratched his head, unsure how to reply to that.

And so the three stealthily made their way towards the hollowed log that marked the exit of the village. The village was silent, perfectly calm. They almost made it.

"You again!" came the cry from beside them.

Tane whirled, intent on bashing the speaker. Mido glared up at him, swinging a rather hefty stick at his head. Tane ducked it, then stepped forward to cover his partner's retreat. He paled when he saw the child had six or seven friends. "Run!"

And so the three dashed out of the forest, a pack of stick- and rock-wielding children hot on their trail. They didn't stop running until they were clear of the forest. As they reached the edge of the murky woods, the children stopped, shaking fists and throwing last futile stones, before turning back to their village.

Simultaneously, all three escapees collapsed on the ground, leaning on each other. "Never again," Tane groaned. The other two agreed enthusiastically.

******

Silence returned to the forest as the Kokiri returned to their village. The last of them, Mido, crossed the bridge, scratching his head uncertainly. He had certainly recognized the two men; what he wouldn't give for another swing at that red-head! But the girl had looked familiar too. And she hadn't been with them when they had come through the forest. How had she gotten there, if she hadn't come in that way? Mido walked home, shaking his head in confusion.

As he moved away from the wooden bridge, the silence was broken by a giggle. With a shower of green sparks, another Kokiri, oddly enough with green hair, appeared on the bridge. She laughed quietly, smiling fondly in the direction the three had ran.

"So, they finally came for you, Fami? Its about time!" Saria, the Sage of the Forest Temple, waved in the direction of her unseeing friend. "Good luck, Fami. You move on to a world neither of us have seen before. Maybe you'll finally get to find what you've always looked for somewhere out there. Maybe…maybe you already have?" With a final laugh, and another explosion of green light, Saria disappeared again, and silence reigned over the Lost Woods.

Author's Note: Finally, I reach something of an acceptable schedule. Hopefully, if I don't get too sidetracked by homework and the wicked world of Everquest, chapters will be released on a three-week timetable. I'm going to try and crack down and keep to that schedule, but who knows how the summer and working night shift at the local Wal-Mart will affect my writing and sleeping schedules? Time will tell, I suppose.

Also, I am proud to say I just finished, over the course of 4 days, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. I would highly recommend. The graphics are a little...well, that you can see for yourself. But the plot...! Simply amazing. They did SO much to flesh out the character of Ganondorf that it isn't even funny. And we finally have a Zelda with an actual personality! If you have the chance to get this game, don't let it pass. You won't regret it.

Ahem...anyways, back to story issues. I'm sad to say that the downside of my schedule is that I hardly ever have the time to work on my other stories. This is slightly irksome to me; I had the last chapter of book 5 nearly complete, but writer's block concerning a certain battle scene has kept me tied up completely. Actually, that scene is a good part of the reason I'm putting so much effort into _this_ story. Still, I suppose some of you might be a little curious as to what happens. I do have the whole chapter done, minus one fairly unimportant fight scene, ready to post. I'm not going to put it on FFN until its done...but if anyone cares enough to want to see what I have, send me an e-mail/contact me on MSN Messenger. I'll be more than happy to show you what I have from it.

^_^ Just a little teaser, to pique your curiosity about it. That chapter shows a lot of Devain, a character that will play a major role in books 1-10. It also has one of my favorite battles, with a surprising twist to one of my two main characters. Not to mention some sappiness all around, especially of a Seron/Kiara kind.

So, if you're interested, feel free to e-mail me at hyrules_hero@hotmail.com. Thanks for reading, and for putting up with my nonsense. ^_^

~Wynn Pendragon


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

Darkness was falling over Death Mountain. This imposing volcano loomed over Hyrule, overlooking the fields, Kakariko, the Zora's Domain, and the castle itself. From its peak, one could survey most of the land, if they could survive the treacherous trek up the winding path that led up the mountain.

The mountain was laced with caverns, pits, and tunnels. An entire city lay in such cave, home to the rock-skinned Gorons. In another, deep within the fiery core of the summit, was the Fire Temple. These were among the most well-known, but dozens more dotted Hyrule's largest, most dangerous peak.

Deep inside one such cavern, far from the light of day, dwelled a wizard. Sitting on his throne, a chair made of rigid angles and unforgiving surfaces, the wizard tapped his forefingers together in boredom. His ice blue eyes peered down over those impatient fingers, looking at the figure kneeling at the base of the stairs leading up to the throne. The wizard breathed out in a sigh of irritation and edginess, the air gusting over his thick white mustache. Growing tired of his lackey's flattering speech, he stroked his long beard, trying to restrain from lashing out at the creature below him.

"And, ssso, massster, I mussst requessst more weaponsss. The Goronsss, they grow wary. Our raidsss are netting lesss and lesss each time." The lizard's tongue flicked out as it looked up at the wizard, its small eyes glinting in the torchlight.

Icarnos sighed. "I see. Are you certain you are phrasing that right?"

The monster at the foot of the stairs swallowed loudly. "What…what do you mean, massster?"

Icarnos' blue eyes shined coldly as he stood, staring down his eyes at the beast that had come to serve him. The monster was a bipedal lizard, vaguely human in shape. Its entire body was coated with dark green scales. Lighter-colored scales covered its front from throat to the end of its twitching tail, but most of these were covered in the platemail armor Icarnos had given it. A white frill decorated the beast's head, and a tarnished crown was carefully placed amongst it. A long, jagged sword hung at the monster's side, darkly stained from use.

"What I mean is that you are being far too generous to yourself." His voice held a cold fury like a blizzard, but it was an inferno beside those eyes. "Your incompetence has seen many of your followers dead at the hands of the Gorons, lost along with much of the equipment I donated to you." Icarnos' voice left no question as to which of those losses he regretted most. "And what rewards? What have your sloppy raids brought us, brought me in return for my plentiful gifts? Nothing!" The word lashed at the lizard like a whip. "Do not forget who placed that crown upon your head, King Dinolfos. I reward those who serve me well. I eradicate the weak and incompetent! Choose well which you will be!"

"Yesss massster, forgive me massster, I will not fail you again! Pleassse give me a sssecond chance!"

Icarnos turned his back on the creature. He cared little either way for the beast or its petty raids. In fact, the entire reason he had supplied the monster and paved its path to power was as a test. The boy would undoubtedly come to aid his friends, the Gorons, if he heard they were being assaulted by monsters like the Dinolfos. He still needed to gauge the boy's strength before he made his move, before he struck.

But would he hear of the Goron's plight? According to Seron, the son of Baro had left Kakariko that morning, for destinations unknown. The only intelligence the young apprentice had given him was that the boy had not headed up the trail leading to Goron City. But where, then?

It was impossible to guess. The boy could have gone anywhere on Hyrule in his pointless search of wealth. There was no way to reach him now. Icarnos trembled with rage, and below him the monster's pleas doubled as he saw Icarnos' fury build. He had read the boy wrong! He had been certain he would choose to go to the Gorons, but instead, he had vanished!

A smile flitted across the aged man's face. It did not matter. His hand already stretched across Hyrule. Anywhere the boy turned, his agents would be there. Everywhere, except… he frowned, but within a moment the expression was gone. Yes…that would work…

"King Dinolfos. I have decided to give you one, _ final_ chance at redeeming yourself."

"Thank you massster! I will not dissssapoint you, massster! I-"

"How right you are." Icarnos spun, facing the monster. "Perhaps if the Gorons are too difficult, a softer prey is in order? I am quite certain in their joy over Ganon's defeat the villagers of Kakariko have let their defenses slip. Now, isn't that just asking someone to take them by surprise?"

A predatory gleam crossed the lizard's eyes. "It will be done, immediately."

"Very well then." Moments later, after its flourishing bows and farewells, the beast exited Icarnos' chambers. As it left, the wizard smiled at its back. Yes, now it was done. They didn't stand a chance against him, the greatest wizard Hyrule had ever known. No one could stand against him.

Not even Wynn, son of Baro.

******

"Someone explain to me again why _I _have to carry all of the wood for the fire?"

"Because, you're the one with all the muscles. And Wynn's hurt. So stop whining!"

Tane raised a dubious eyebrow at his partner, who was sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Fami knelt beside him, pushing his hand away, looking at the 'wound'.

"Really, its nothing. One of those kids-"

"Kokiri," Fami interrupted, looking around for something to clean the blood out of Wynn's hair.

"- beaned me with a rock, that's all. I'm fine. I can carry too." Wynn started to stand, heading for the safety of Tane's side, but Fami caught his shoulder.

"Sit."

Wynn sat back down, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Tane smirked at the man as he dumped his load of firewood on the ground near the small fire that they hoped to keep burning through the night. "She's got you whipped already." Wynn's glare at the man promised cold vengeance.

"Really, I don't see what the big deal is," Fami said, pouring water on a rag she had fished out of her satchel. "You're hurt, and the sooner you see to it, the sooner you don't have to worry about it." She dabbed at the cut on Wynn's head, eliciting a wince from the hero. "My powers do encompass healing, but they would be overkill on something small like this."

"And tell, again, why I have to walk all the way over there to get the wood?" Tane squatted beside the pair, resting his tired muscles.

Fami sighed, bringing his hands down to her lap in exasperation. "Do you see any wood around here? And do you really want to camp near the forest? A ferocious Kokiri might get poor widdle Tane in his sleep!"

Tane shook his head. "You miss my point, not that that surprises me. You can do the plant thing. Why don't you make another tree pop out at our feet? It'd save me a lot of trouble."

"Like I care? Anyways, I refuse to waste plants that are still alive to keep you warm." She paused, looking aside. "Anyways, my powers are weaker during the night."

The burlier man looked at Wynn. "And why, exactly, is she useful now?"

"Right about now, both of you are just getting on my nerves, so now is not the time to ask that." The man winced as Fami dabbed more fiercely. "Ouch! That hurt!"

"I'm sorry," she said rather coolly. "You distracted me."

Wynn slumped, resigning himself to Fami's ministration's as Tane walked away into the dark, chuckling. The girl looked up at the back of the receding mercenary, watching him pass out of earshot, before clearing her throat softly. "So, Wynn, where are you from?" she asked casually, still examining the already perfectly tended wound.

"Ah… I lived on a farm north of here, on the foothills of Death Mountain. Basically, out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest bit of civilization was the Zora's Domain, and I've never been there. The Zora's aren't the most hospitable bunch. No one lived within an evening's walk of us…well, when I was a kid, another family lived nearby…but they all died in a bandit raid."

Fami nodded slowly. "I see…you haven't really had anyone to talk to either…"

Wynn nodded hesitantly. "I…I had my parents. But I couldn't really talk to them. Mom was…well, Mom. And she died a few years back. And Baro…"

"You always say 'had'. Did something happen?"

"…" Silence fell over the pair for several moments.

"I…see. I'm sorry for asking."

Wynn shook his head slowly. "A few days ago, bandits came to our farm. Baro had sent me out that morning. When I came back…"

"Well, aren't you two chatty? Glad to see you're getting along so well."

Fami gave Tane a frown. "I'm sorry, but do you mind? I was always taught that interrupting a conversation was rude, but I suppose the wolves that raised you probably weren't skilled in social matters."

The smile Tane gave her as he dumped the load of wood he had toted over from the forest and bowed grandly was indeed wolfish. "I beg pardon, m'lady. My social graces aren't quite as demanded as yours must have been, what with all the grand balls and such out in the middle of the woods."

"Funny. Go away."

"As my lady wishes."

"Where were we again, Wynn?" Fami asked as Tane again marched off. She frowned at his shrug, and decided on a new line of questioning. "So, what brought you all the way out to these forests? Tane seemed to think my father's letter spoke of treasure, but you don't seem the type to be that interested in just rupees. Why, then?"

Wynn chuckled, thinking about his meeting with Tane that morning. "You'd normally be right. I just have need…for five hundred rupees."

Fami whistled softly. "That's a lot of rupees. Why so many?"

"A man in Kakariko has sources within the bandit groups around here. He can bring me information about my father's murderers, but his price is steep."

"What kind of person is he? Going about with bandits, extorting people in need…he sounds like a really shady character."

Wynn nodded. "Shady indeed…he seemed so familiar…"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing."

"So, we're looking for somewhere to find treasure, right? Any idea of our destination?"

Wynn shook his head. "I have no clue. We never really thought about anywhere past the Lost Woods. I'm hoping Tane will have something else in that little bag of tricks he has." Wynn squinted, peering through the darkness. "Hey, Tane!" he shouted. "Where to next?"

Tane emerged from the shadows, another heavy load of wood on his shoulder. "That should do it. What were you saying? Ah, yeah. That's a tough one." He dropped the wood on the ground. Dusting his hands off, he squatted down, scratching his head as he thought. "Hmm. Well, I haven't got much else in the way of treasure maps. Well, there are a few, but after that last one, I'm not taking my chances." He motioned to Fami with a jerk of his head. "But…I've got an old associate of mine that still owes me a couple hundred. I'd be willing to loan them to you, for a better share of the next treasure we find."

Wynn grimaced. "Two hundred isn't enough…but it's a start. Where can we find this guy?"

Tane sighed. "Zaruu is in Zora's Domain by now…I hope. He was part of a training group of Zoras that weren't in the Domain when whatever froze the place hit. The rest of his team returned immediately, but he had a dispute with his commander, and worked a few missions as a mercenary. I just happened to work with him, out near Gerudo Valley." Tane winced as he considered that. "Last I heard of him, he was going to head back to the Domain, now that the place is thawing."

"Great. I kinda doubt that the Zora's are going to welcome us with open arms. They've never been friendly with anyone who isn't a messenger from King Harkinian."

Tane shrugged. "Hey, you never know, right?" He stood, walking towards his pack. "Now, to find something to eat. I'm famished-"

"Uh, Tane, I don't think that's enough firewood."

The red-haired man raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? That's nearly enough for a bonfire."

"It's just not enough, O.K.?"  
"I really rather think I know more about setting up camp than you, alright? You want more wood, _you_ march out there and get it."

"Tane, please."

The mercenary froze. "You _do_ know that word! I'm amazed! …Very well then, sure. I'll do it."

Wynn watched in confusion as his partner walked back out into the darkness. "What was that all about?"

Fami didn't respond as she came around to sit next to Wynn. "You…you never finished telling me about your father."

"…Right. Well, I didn't get there in time. The bandits torched the place. One of them knocked me out, and when I woke up, the house was torched to the ground and there was no sign of Baro. I didn't even get to bury him."

"But you didn't actually see him afterwards, did you? You don't _know_ he is dead, right?"

"I don't even dare hope otherwise. There were just too many…"

"Don't give up hope, Wynn." The man turned to see Fami leaning close to him, very close. The light from the fire danced in her eyes, and Wynn swallowed nervously as she smiled brightly. "We'll find him! I just know it!" She slipped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug. "Just have faith."

Wynn cautiously returned the hug. "I…I hope you are right Fami."

She moved away from him, that same haunting light in her eyes, the same gentle joy in her smile. "I have faith in you." She stood, waving a finger down at him. "No, its time you went to sleep. You'll need all the rest you can get for tomorrow."

"So will you."

"Yes, but I think a little time in the starlight would do me just as much good as sleep. You, however…"

The hero raised his hands, fending off her onslaught. "I know, I know. I'm going. Don't stay up too late."  
She watched him as he walked over to his spot on the ground. "I won't." She watched him while he lay down, covering himself with his blanket. She was still watching moments later when he finally drifted into sleep.

"Was that long enough for you?"

Fami looked away, to see Tane standing at the edge of the fire's light. "Where's the firewood?"

"You didn't want firewood, you wanted privacy. I just took a little walk." 

Fami considered him before nodding. "You're more observant than I thought."  
"Why, thank you. Now, start explaining. What's with all the hush-hush talking with my partner?"

"That is none of your business, thank you oh so much."

"Its about my partner. It is my business."

"Your partner for how long?"

"One day. Not that it matters. He watches my back, and I make sure nothing bad happens to him in turn. Take now for example."

"And you think I'm going to do something bad to him?"

"I've lived long enough to know not to trust people I've just met. And the ones I've known for years. Mercenary's creed, you know. 'Don't trust anybody.'"

"You trust him, though."

"Yeah, but he's…different." Tane looked over at the sleeping figure of the man he had known just a day. "Something about him seems…seems trustworthy. Honest."

Fami smiled at that. "Tell me…about him. Anything."

Tane chuckled. "Don't know much. I know he's got something big hanging on him, something recent. He's not running from something…more like running after it. And he's got a lot of rage. He keeps it in…but I can tell."

"Yeah…and at the same time, he seems somehow…sad. And afraid."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But it's not in our hands." Tane looked up, into the night sky. "I figure, if I stay around him enough, I'll find out what's eating at him. Whatever it is, from what I can tell about him, even if its too big for him to handle, he'll fight it anyways. He won't ask for help. Maybe…maybe I'll be around so he won't have to ask, eh?"

"You know a lot for him to be someone you've just known a day."

"Hey, sometimes you just know people." Tane shrugged rising to his feet. "I'm tired. Time to sleep. I'd suggest you do the same. I sure ain't carrying you up Zora's River."

"Soon. Sleep well, Tane."

"Yeah. You too."

Fami sat there for a long time, as the moon rose high into the sky, basking in the wind and the moonlight. She listened to the whispering breezes, she watched the stars, and she thought of the past and the future. Finally, resigning herself to sleep, she stood, walking to her blanket. On her way, she passed Wynn. She stopped as she saw him shake, fighting in his sleep, whispering a desperate something. She knelt by his side, watching his troubled expression before touching his face, smoothing the hair away from his eyes. "Sleep, Wynn." The man's stirring calmed, but she knew somehow that it wasn't gone, that it lie just below the surface.

"Tane's right, you know. You wouldn't ask for help, even if you needed it. But maybe, when you do need help…maybe I'll be there, too."

******

"_Boy_, _I need you to go down to the river cliff_. _I left some bottles of ink and parchment wrapped in a bag down there the last time I went to town for supplies_. _I want you to get them_."

_Wynn nodded to his father_'_s request_. "_Yes_,_ sir_. _I'll go right now_."

"_I would hope so_," _Baro said gruffly_,_ his breath gusting out his thick mustache_. "_I don_'_t have time for you to lay about_, _boy_."

_Wynn nodded_, _not meeting his father_'_s eyes_. _He didn_'_t really have a say in the matter_,_ so he might as well go now_. "_Where exactly are they_?"

"_You have eyes_, _don't you_, _boy_?"

_Wynn nodded_, _turning away so his father wouldn_'_t see his fists clench_. "_Yes_, _sir_."

_Behind Wynn_'_s back_, _Baro smiled at the hard edge in his son_'_s voice_. "_Take this with you_. _You might need it_."

_Wynn turned to see his father removing the sword from his waist_. _Wynn looked up from it to his father_, _confused_. "_But, I don_'_t need it_. _There isn_'_t much in the way of monsters around here_, _and we haven_'_t seen a bandit in years_. _The only thing I ever see around are Tektites_, _ and a good whack with a stick will take care of those_."

_Wynn grunted as his father drove the hilt of the sword into his gut as the man held it out_. "_Take it_, _I said_. _It_'_s time I gave it up_, _anyways_. _Swords were never my style anyways_."

_Wynn stared at the sword dumbly_, _as shocked by the offer as by the explanation his father had given him_. _The older man had carried this sword for as long as Wynn could remember_. _And_,_ just recently_, _his father had spent hours working on affixing the white jewel he had always worn around his neck to the pommel_. _That jewel glinted dully now as Wynn stared down at it_.

"_Take it_."

_Wynn reached out woodenly_, _slipping his fingers around the hilt slowly_. _His grip fit perfectly_, _as if the hand had been made to fit the sword_. _ Wynn blinked_, _then yelped as a brilliant white light erupted from the jewel at the end of the sword_. _He stared in wonder at the jewel as it dimmed, the light slowly fading_. _Even when the light was gone_, _it seemed like the stone still shined more brightly than before_.

"_So_. _You really have chosen another_. _You chose him the day Krite died_, _ didn_'_t you_? _I figured as much_. _You_'_re his now_…_if you were ever mine to give_. _And so_, _the greatest weapon Hyrule has ever seen is finally complete_."

_Wynn looked up at his father_. _Only a few times in his life had he seen Baro smile_, _and nearly none of those had been directed at him_. _Now_, _the man was beaming_.

"_What_…_what are you talking about_?"

"_No time for questions_, _boy_. _It_'_s time for you to leave_. _The storm is coming_." _The smile was gone now_.

"_Storm_? _What storm_? _The sky is as clear as_-"

"_No matter_! _Go_!"

_Wynn went_, _not looking back to see his father watching him leave_. _He walked down the path towards the river_, _past the overgrown field where Solan_'_s family had once lived_, _down towards the cliffs that overlooked the river leading from Zora_'_s Domain_. _He stopped_, _looking down on the rushing waters_. _Things seemed so different now_. _Always_, _before_, _his life had been stable_: _train_, _eat_, _ sleep_, _wake_, _train some more_. _Things had changed_ _ before_, _when his mother died and when the bandits murdered Solan_'_s family_, _but never before had life felt like this_.

_His father had always been unmovable_,_ unchangeable_, _the one thing in Wynn_'_s life he could depend on to be the same when he woke up as when he had fallen asleep_. _But now_,_ for several days_, _he had seemed different_…_anxious_, _somehow_. _He had doubled Wynn_'_s time training with the sword_, _but he never seemed focused_. _He seemed distracted_, _and had ever since that strange young man dressed in blue with his face nearly completely covered had visited their home_. _He spent his days lost in thought_, _and his nights frantically working on the sword_. _He was waiting for something_. _Something he was_…_Wynn would never use the word _'_afraid_'_ to refer to his father_, _but _'_nervous_' _worked_…_something he was nervous because of_. _And anything that could do that to his father_…_Wynn shuddered_.

_But he didn_'_t have time to worry about that now_. _His father would expect those supplies as soon as he could get them_, _and that meant Wynn couldn_'_t waste time_. _With that_, _he set out on his search for the ink and parchments_…_a search that took several hours_. _He looked everywhere on that cliff_, _to no avail_. _Still_, _he refused to return empty­_-_handed_, _and kept looking_. _Finally_, _he found them, hidden under some bushes a distance from the cliff_.

_It was midday as Wynn began the trek back to his home_. _He regarded the sky solemnly_, _ seeing the sun had risen high into the sky and begun its descent while he was looking for the elusive supplies_. _He blinked as he looked west_, _ in the direction of Kakariko and the abandoned Hyrule Marketplace_. "_What do you know_? _He was right_. _A storm is coming in_." 

_Smoke rose above the trees_, _almost blending in with the dark clouds that had shrouded the sky that day_. _Wynn glanced up at the smoke quizzically_, _not understanding its source_. _He dropped the supplies he had been sent to gather_, _moving forward in a jog_. _The day was warm_, _so there would be no real need for a fire for warmth_. _It could be a cooking fire_, _but it seemed larger_, _more spread out than it should_. _Something was wrong_…

******

As light began to shine over Hyrule Field, a dark man stood at the gates of Lon Lon Ranch. It was a beautiful morning, with the morning sky bathed in oranges and purples. The birds chimed out the day's new beginning, and a gentle breeze blew softly over the field, waving the grasses. But the man did not notice. His mind was on darker things.

"Does he really think they'll fall for this flimsy excuse for a story?" Seron huffed, pulling the cowl of his cloak off his head. "The senile old fool thinks no one is half as intelligent as he is. Its not him that has to stroll into most likely hostile territory and ask for a man that we're not certain is dangerous or not yet." Shaking his head, he looked up at the walls of Lon Lon. "Dangerous to him, anyways."

The ranch loomed over Seron as he made his way inside. The farm was famous for its horses, its fame even reaching the distant Gerudo thieves, and to keep safe the horses that brought it that recognition, immense walls had long ago been built around the entire ranch. The place was as well-defended as a fortress, as far as walls went, anyways. As far as manpower…well, Seron mused, the old man was right about some things, but this was pretty far-fetched. According to what the old wizard had told him, only three people lived here: the rancher, his young daughter, and the stable hand. It just didn't seem enough people to run the place, to Seron's mind, but then again he wasn't exactly experienced in the running of a ranch. Quite frankly, the sooner he could get out of this place, the better, he decided as he carefully stepped over a pile of horse manure.

He came to the farmhouse, a two-story building pressed against the outer wall of the ranch, opposite the stables. Seron could hear movement inside both buildings, but chose with a sneering glance to check the house first. He knocked warily at the door, listening for a response.

"Just a moment," drawled a female voice from the other side of the door. Seron perked at the sound of that voice, subconsciously straightening his cloak. Icarnos had said young, but most of the population of Hyrule was young compared to him! The voice had sounded pleasantly close to one belonging to a girl his age. Interesting.

The door opened, and Seron found himself looking into a pair of brilliantly blue eyes. Seron smirked slightly as he studied the girl. His estimate of the voice had been correct; she was right around his age. Startlingly bright red hair framed those amazing eyes, and delicately angled features drew in as she frowned at him curiously. "May I help you?"

Seron composed himself; he had business here. "Why, yes, ma'am, you can." He sketched a bow, sweeping his cloak out. "I happen to be looking for a friend of mine, and was told he may have stopped here.

The confusion grew in her eyes as the girl stepped back from the door. "Well, no one has come by recently, but if you'll come in, we can talk about it. I'll talk your cloak, Mister…?"

"Seron. Just Seron." He swept the cloak off his shoulders and handed it to the girl as he stepped inside, surveying the inside of the ranch house. The room he was in was the kitchen area, with a table sitting in the center of the room with three chairs pulled up to it. Already, the top of the table was carefully arranged with dishes and silverware, though no one sat in the chairs and the food was still cooking. Seron's stomach growled mercilessly as he caught a whiff of the bacon frying across the room.

"My, my. You sound hungry. Would you like to stay for breakfast, Seron?"

Icarnos could wait. He was hungry, and that was more important.

"Why, yes. I would be delighted, more than delighted."

"Just have you a seat and I'll call father and Ingo in."

Seron sat, pulling a chair away from the table and scooting close to it after he was sitting. The aromas from the stove across the room teased him, and his stomach roared more insistently this time. He idly drummed his fingers on the table, impatient and eyeing the crackling bacon with eyes like a starving wolf.

The door opened, and two boisterously chattering men entered, laughing over some trivial story, most likely. Seron looked back at them. His eyes widened as he examined them. One man was narrow and lanky, with his lined face decorated with an absurd mustache. The other was similar enough to him to mistake the pair for brothers, save one detail. While the first, the stable hand from his clothes, was skinny, the other man was burly, with arms that seemed to Seron ready to drag the ground as the man walked. His girth wasn't all muscle, Seron guessed…but enough of it was.

"Well, now! Who do we have here?" boomed that man, falling into a protesting chair. He nodded jovially at Seron, as did the other man, who took his seat as well.

The girl took the responsibility of introducing him. "Seron here says he's looking for a friend of his. He says he heard he might have stopped by here."

"Is that so? What's his name, son?"

Seron subconsciously held his breath as he gave his answer. "Wynn. I'm looking for a man named Wynn."

The table went silent for a moment. Seron's grin slipped as he began to sweat. 'Oh great. Wynn came here, and he told them about me trying to con a fortune out of him. They're going to remember that, and they're going to attack me. Icarnos just sent me to my death.' The smile slipped farther. 'Porky can't make it around the table in time to catch me, and the girl can't run in that dress, but the skinny guy might catch me. If I make it out of here, I can hide in the field. They can't catch me if I get outside. Wait…they have horses…oh, this is bad.'

"Wynn, you say? No, haven't seen him in quite some time," the thicker man said. "Haven't seen him in a few years, have we, Malon?"

The girl smiled fondly. "No, no, it's been quite a while since him and Baro paid us a visit. How is he? I've missed having him around."

"Oh, he's just great," Seron said, breathing an internal sigh of relief. "I haven't ever seen him any better, actually." Or worse, for that matter, he mentally added.

All three beamed at those words. "That's wonderful!" Malon said, setting the food on the table.

"Indeed it is," Seron said, eyes riveted on the food.

Moments passed as the four began taking their share of the food, passing the bowls around and helping themselves to generous portions, some more than others. Seron tore in voraciously, hardly shying from seconds when a bowl passed too close to him.

"Well, now! Looks like they don't feed you much at wherever you're from," the larger man chuckled, looking up from his own hefty plate.

"Isn't that the truth," Seron grumbled darkly, before digging into his food with even more intensity than before.

Breakfast at Lon Lon Ranch took even longer than normal, as the trio of inhabitants waited patiently for Seron to sop his last bit of gravy and search for another piece of bacon. When he was finally done, nursing an overfull stomach and a glass of cold milk, Malon went about gathering the dishes as the pair of men started asking questions. "So, Seron, what brings you searching for young Wynn? He's not in any trouble, is he?" the ranch owner asked.

"No, not that I know of," Seron responded, his fake smile growing weary. 'Let's see…a psychotic wizard hunting for him while he apparently goes off into the wild blue yonder in search of rupees to pay the one man in the world who has a whole list of reasons to want him dead…no trouble there.'

"That's good…Wynn's always been a good kid. I remember all the times him and his dad came to visit the ranch here…but that was before Ganondorf…"

"Heh…I remember his trouble with the ponies, that's what I remember. Do you remember the look on his face when that one took off with him on it, Talon?" the ranch hand guffawed, slapping his knee.

Both men laughed. Seron gave serious consideration to taking a nap while the pair reminisced.

"But enough of that, I'm sure you're tired of listening to us jabber. Where're you from, Seron? What brings you looking for Wynn?"

Seron subconsciously adjusted his collar. 'Reminisce all you want!' "Ah…I'm from…Kakariko, yes."

Malon looked at him from across the room. "Did you just move to Kakariko? My friend, a healer that lives there, sends me letters, and I'm quite certain she would have mentioned you. She's always talking about things like that when she writes me."

"Ah…yes…that is…"

"Ah, you know how those girls like to gossip. Whereabout are you from originally, then? I'm pretty familiar with most of the families around here, delivering milk and all. If you tell me your father's name, I'm sure I can place you."

Seron twitched at the mention on his father, fingers digging into the arms of his chair. He shook his head minutely, struggling for control.

"Are you alright, lad? Malon, get-"

'I'm alright, don't worry," Seron drawled, standing smoothly from his chair, giving the trio a bright smile. "But, I'm afraid I must ask that you excuse me. My time runs short, and I have a long way yet before I can rest again." He bowed elegantly to Malon. "My thanks for the delicious meal; I'll be wishing for one like it for long yet. And, my thanks for your hospitality. Farewell, all." A moment later, after fumbling to pull his cloak from the wall, Seron was gone.

The inhabitants of Lon Lon Ranch blinked slowly as they looked at the opened door Seron had exited from.

"What a strange young man…" Malon mumbled.

"Well! What got the wind behind his back?" Ingo exclaimed, scratching his head.

Seron burst into Hyrule Field, walking as quickly from the ranch as he could without running. His smile was locked on his face, but did not reach his eyes; they were cold and opened slightly too wide. He knew something was wrong, something those people had said had made him feel this…cold, but he couldn't figure out what it was. His mind was racing too quickly for him to latch on to any one thought as he moved towards Kakariko, and beyond it Death Mountain and his master.

'_Seron_…_avenge me!_'

Seron laughed as he walked. He didn't know what was wrong, but he didn't care any more. The solution had suddenly come to him, he understood now. He only had to do one thing to make everything right.

He had to kill Wynn, son of Baro.

******

"Well, well….what do we have here?"

A cloaked figure watched Seron as he walked away from the ranch. The man shook his head in amusement as he watched the apprentice racing towards the town and safety. He gripped his staff tightly, his hand trembling slightly. Another person, likewise concealed from the light, stood silently behind the man.

"Run, my friend. The day is not for you, is not safe for anyone with your powers. That wizard that controls you should have taught you that long before now. Of course, were I not so generous I might be more doubting of Icarnos' competence, but he is not the matter in question, is he?"

The silent figure moved up beside the man, fingering twin daggers as his dark eyes, the only thing visible under the cowl of his cloak, stared intensely at the retreating apprentice. The head inclined slightly toward the other, but the man did not acknowledge the unspoken question, or even the presence of his companion. 

The man holding the staff frowned slightly. His left hand tightened even more on his weapon as he felt the air heat up around him. He raised his right hand, and watched a flickering flame burst to life and dance over his leather gauntlet, the red jewel set over the back of the palm glowing with a faint light.

"I wonder…would I be better served to wipe you out now? Would it be wrong to begin my vengeance with you, before you grow too powerful? Would it be safer to kill you now, while I still can?"

The flame burst into an inferno, raging over the gauntlet but going no farther up the man's arm. He aimed the hand at Seron, his eyes matching the glow of the jewel, narrowing slightly as he prepared to release his powers. He hesitated, cold logic fighting with the burning desire to strike down the man that had almost reached the river before the village. The flame slowly subsided as logic won over, and the man lowered his hand.

The other watched this without making a sound, the dark eyes full of nothing but obedience and a tense desire to see the man release his powers. The speaker turned to meet those dark eyes for a mere moment, and chuckled as he turned away from the direction Seron had been heading.

"No…not now. He will want to use you. He will want what you have. I will wait till he plays his hand, and then I will see to both of you." The man smiled slightly, his step slow as he walked away. "I know where you stand now, but I do not know about the other. Now…I will see to him."

The other man paused a moment before following. The cold eyes stared after Seron, who had already passed from view. The hands clutched the daggers fiercely, and then released. Making not a sound as he passed through the grasses of Hyrule Field, the wraith-like man followed his master.

"Yes, now that I know where you are, this will be all too easy. Once I hold both of you, vengeance will come swiftly to my hands." The man with the staff laughed loudly once, the sound ringing out across the expanse of the plains. "Now, the game begins."

Author's Note: ...It's been a while, I know. I must apologize for the amount of time it is taking me to post new chapters of this, or any, of my stories. Sadly, I've been having a major crisis recently, concerning my future and current career as a writer. I'm afraid that I can't promise the chapters will start coming out any quicker, either. However, I can promise that I shall give it my strongest effort to ensure that my works start coming out more consistently, and that I will actually manage to publish the next chapter of this story before another 6 months pass.

...Wish me luck.

~Wynn Pendragon


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

"Tane?"

"Hmm?"

"If you have to whistle," Wynn growled darkly, "at least pick something with some resemblance of a tune to it!"

The red-haired adventurer grinned broadly at his partner, turning his face over his shoulder. "My, my, someone's cranky today!"

"Leave poor Wynn alone," Fami scolded, patting the glowering man on the arm as she walked beside him. "He's obviously not a morning person."

"Then what kind of person is he, hmm?"

"One on the verge of picking you up and throwing you into the river."

Tane slowed, looking at the rapidly flowing water that ran past the trail they were walking. His eyes followed the water back they way they had come, past a series of white-clad rapids, eventually ending in a short waterfall that crashed down besides the beginning of the path. "Oh."

Smiling with grim satisfaction, Wynn turned his gaze back down to the ground before him. He had been in this sour mood ever since he had woken up this morning; an event that had been less than pleasant and had involved Tane, an 'accidentally' spilt canteen of water, and Wynn 'accidentally' grabbing Tane by the collar as Fami tried to hold him back. As if that wasn't enough to make anyone less than anxious to face the coming day, his sleep had been hardly refreshing. This was quite obvious by the dark shadows around his eyes and the growls that were his response to most things Tane said to him.

The red-haired man noticed Wynn's dark mood, but beyond that gave it less than a second thought. After all, who could stay gloomy on a day like this? The sun was up, and shining brightly on the flowing water; a gentle breeze blew downstream, keeping the travelers cool; the birds chirped and sang somewhat more elegantly than Tane's own attempt at music. Plus, Tane could almost see the money that lay at the end of the trail. That was enough to get anyone up and ready to go. Well, besides Wynn, Tane noted. It had taken a canteen of cold water to accomplish that.

Fami strolled along beside Wynn, spending her time by looking at the scenery. The trail hugged the Zora River, which ran down a wooded canyon that ran from the headwaters above the Zora's Domain down to Hyrule Field. The water was swift here, the current almost too powerful to cross, but it eventually slowed down as it flowed into the field below. Fortunately, bridges spanned the river in most places that they had to cross, and stepping stones made the others possible. Fami was very glad of this fact; the water was near freezing. It was no surprise, after all, since Ganon's curse had turned Zora's Domain and the spring that fed this river into a tomb of ice, sealing most of the Zora's inside their home in a frozen slumber. Judging by the height and power of the waters, Ganon's defeat had broken the curse and had begun the accelerated melting of the domain. Tane had voiced hopes that the Domain would be close to normal by now, but Fami had her doubts. So did Wynn; he had lived not far from the cliffs overlooking this river, and he knew personally the power of Ganon's curse. The spring had moved enough to prevent it from completely freezing, but the calm water's inside the Zora city had not been able to say the same.

"So…how much farther, Tane?" Fami asked, more out of curiosity than any desire to see the hike end.

"Well, we're close. Just past this bridge and around the corner, and we'll be at the gate of the city."

Fami sighed softly. She was enjoying the walk, and wasn't anxious to go into a town. After all, besides Kokiri Village, she had never been around a large gathering of people, and Tane had smiled wide when he had told her there were _many_ more people in the Zora town. Plus, the company wasn't that bad as it stood…well, half of it, anyways. She glanced over at Wynn, who had his attention firmly glued to the ground in front of him. She reached over, placing her hand on his arm, looking to him inquisitively. He met her gaze, his face clean of emotion. Her smile slipped, but she reinforced it, giving the arm a small squeeze. He returned the favor with a rather transparent attempt at a smile, and returned his gaze to the ground.

"Ah! We're here!"

Fami's jaw dropped as she looked up at the sight before them. "It's huge!" A massive waterfall thundered down over the end of the trail. Twin rock ledges ran along the sides of the cliffs, reaching out and crossing in front of the waterfall. The trail followed the right ledge, and ended immediately in front of the waterfall, a good height above where the water crashed into a deep pool and ran into the river.

"I've seen bigger. You should see the one at Gerudo Valley… ah, maybe not," Tane said, shivering.

Wynn stared at the water, his exhaustion forgotten for the moment. It only took him a moment to notice the problem with their situation. "Ah….how do we go on?"

Tane motioned vaguely towards the waterfall, leading them forward. "That way."

Wynn sighed, exasperated. "I know _that_. But…how…?"

By this time, the trio had reached the end of the trail. The path ended directly in front of the waterfall, halfway up. Just beyond the trail, a slab of grey stone was set into the ground. On it was engraved three triangles, one resting on the top points of the other two.

Tane boldly stepped onto the stone. "Like this!" He began whistling again, but this tone there was a definite tune to it; a slow, melodic lullaby that probably would had sounded better if it weren't for the dubious 'talent' of the person whistling it. Miraculously, as if responding to the music, the torrent slowed to a thin sheet of water, revealing an open door behind the waterfall.

"Glad I still remember that song Zaruu taught me," Tane murmured. He turned to Wynn, grinning arrogantly. "And to think you questioned my musical talents earlier! Ha! Let's see _you_ do that, hmm?"

Wynn glared back impassively.

"As they say, music soothes the savage…waters. Remember that, eh?"

"Tane?"

"Yes, oh doubting critic of- oof!"

Wynn listened with satisfaction to the explosive splash as Tane collided with the waters below. He smiled, his first true smile of the day, down at Fami, who was watching a protesting Tane being swept downriver. "That felt _really_ good."

******

"That was really cold, Wynn," Tane complained.

"I'd imagine. It just melted."

"I wasn't talking about the water!"

Wynn's only response was a shrug. Tane looked for pity to Fami, who hid a smile and shook her head. Sighing in frustration, Tane turned back to the waterfall. In the time it had taken him to scramble to land and trek back up the trail, the waterfall had returned to its normal flow, and was now thundering down into the pool below. Giving one last rueful glance at his remorseless partner, he puckered and again whistled the lullaby that was the key to the gates of the Zora's Domain.

Once again, the sound of the torrent lessened, and the doorway into the city appeared behind the waters. Tane stepped back, swinging his arms and judging the distance to the other side. Guessing wrong would be bad; he had no desire to go back into the frigid river.

"Uh…how are we supposed to get across?" Fami asked, concerned.

"How do you think?" Tane demanded, shaking his head at the girl.

"But…I can't jump across that!" Fami replied.

"Well, if you really wanted, and Wynn would give me a hand, I'm sure we could throw you across. Maybe."

"You can make it, Fami. It's really not that far." Wynn said, giving her a confident nod.

Fami sighed. "But-"

"If you're afraid of getting a little wet, I'm sure you could stay out here. Wouldn't bother me any," Tane suggested.

Wynn rubbed his temples as Fami began to look like she was honestly considering Tane's suggestion. "Let's get this over with before the water starts up again, please?"

Tane winced at the thought. "Ah. Right you are." Again, he took a moment to judge the jump before sprinting across the rock ledge and flinging himself forward. The other two heard a yelp as Tane passed through the water, and saw him on the other side, shaking the water out of his hair.

Wynn swept his hand forward, urging Fami on. "Go ahead."

Fami blanched at that, confirming Wynn's thoughts about her eagerness to cross. Sighing, she moved to the stone, and then jumped, splashing through to the other side. Wynn could already hear the two of them complaining as he moved to make his own leap.

A moment later, he was through. The water had been colder than he had expected; at that temperature, it had no business being anything but ice. As he hastily wiped the water off his face, the waterfall's roar increased again, sealing the trio inside. Wynn glanced back at it, wondering how they would leave the city, when he heard Tane clear his throat. "Yes?"

"I was waiting for an apology."

Wynn regarded his partner with a slight smile before clapping him on the shoulder. "Good luck." He moved on past the crestfallen man, Fami walking beside him, into the city itself.

The Zora's Domain was housed inside a massive cavern, one that could have held most of Kakariko in just the main chamber. The trio stood on a walkway carved out of the wall of the cave, which led along the wall until it split, one path leading farther down while the other gave into a flight of stairs, leading up and above the main chamber. To their left, the ground fell away, and below that was a massive subterranean lake. High up on the wall, across the cavern from the tree, was a towering waterfall, taller that the one outside the city but not nearly as powerful.

Wynn looked down into the lake. Most of the water was slush or covered by a thin layer of ice. The waterfall was hesitant, trickling down onto the frozen lake. He had not realized the power of Ganon's curse over this place; a few days ago, the lake, the waterfall, and all the other water in the city would have been frozen solid.

Wynn glanced around at the rest of the city. Most of it was lit by torches, with the light reflecting off the ice and water to dance across the walls in hypnotizing patterns. He blinked, turning to Tane. "Where's all the houses? Where do the Zoras live?"

"Most of them live up near the spring itself. They have another cave system, much more extensive than this one, that they call The School; most Zoras live there. They don't usually let non-Zora visitors in there…security reasons, you know."

Wynn nodded, turning back to the path before them. He froze as he noticed a huddled group of people, cloaked in blankets, marching up from the lower path toward the stairs. One of them noticed the trio and turned from the group, marching toward them. As he neared, he threw back the blanket covering his head and shifted the blankets covering his side, revealing the sword belted at his side. "State your purpose here, outlanders," the Zora demanded, glaring at the three.

Wynn frowned slightly as Tane stepped past him, considering the Zora before him. He was basically like a Hylian physically, except for a few glaring differences. His body was totally free of hair, leaving the top of his head smooth as it arced back, forming a fish-like tail that hung just below his shoulders. His skin was a pale blue, smooth and streamlined. The nose was slightly too pointy, and the eyes were completely black.

Tane stepped up to face the Zora, spreading his hands in greeting. "Name's Tane, nice to meetcha. I'm, I mean we, are here to visit an old buddy of mine, one Zaruu…?"

The dark eyes narrowed. "Oh. You're one of his…friends. I'm afraid you're out of luck, pal."

As the two talked, Wynn was distracted by a commotion out on the ice below. A group of Zora's were rushing to a hole in the ice, where another one had stuck his head and arm out and was waving frantically to the rest. "We've got another one! Hurry, he's pretty bad off!"

"Why's that? He's still around, ain't he?" Tane demanded, glowering at the thought his old acquaintance would run off at such an inopportune time.

"Not for long. I'd imagine he's still up at the throne room, but not for long. If you want to catch him, ever, better hurry."

Down on the ice, the group of Zoras was frantically pulling another out of the water. The one they were freeing was male, and looked to be around Wynn's age, but he wasn't experienced enough with the Zora race to be certain. "It's Lord Jaco! Hurry, get him warmed up!" The rescued man was shivering violently as they rushed him towards the ground and the waiting fires.

"Come on, Wynn," Tane said, pulling at his partner's arm. "We've got to catch Zaruu."

The three left the Zora behind, moving for the stairs, Tane at the lead. "I hope that fool hasn't done anything stupid. His people have been thawed out for just a few days, and already he's in trouble with the king."

Wynn and Fami jogged up the stairs after the red-headed mercenary, Wynn already feeling slight twangs of anxiety about what was to come next. Disaster seemed to follow Tane around like a tail, and he just _knew_ something bad was waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

What they found was an argument. The throne room was small compared to what had been below. The stairs ended before a small platform, surrounded on three sides by the small stream that fed the waterfall. To their right was a path which curved up and around to the throne, which was in actuality just a ledge, nearly taller than Wynn and Fami put together. The throne overlooked the petitioner's platform that the trio stood before, and sitting on the ledge was the most massive person Wynn had ever seen. The king of the Zora's was obese to say the least, with a flattened-looking face staring over the rounded chin. The eyes of the king were farther to the sides of his face than on the rest of his race, and were also much larger and an odd shade of violet. Mustache-like fins protruded above the sides of his mouth, and scales of a darker green gave the impression of a slim beard. He wore a brilliant red robe, and his golden crown rose over the back of his head instead of circling the top.

The king was arguing with a young Zora female. Unlike the male they had met below, her head was vaguely triangular, and she had no head-tail. Her features were lovely at best, exotic at worst, but that would have been if she were in a good mood. At the moment, her emerald eyes were narrowed and her slim arms were crossed over her chest. She was draped in a thick coat, yet did not act as affected by the cold as the Zora's outside.

"What are you thinking, letting him go out there? Its death for any of us that go, and you just let one of our best soldiers traipse out there to die!"

The king sighed, the sound much like a bellows exhaling. "Nerah, please. Someone has to face that thing, or at least stall it. As long is it is out there, we face the danger of Ganon's curse falling back upon us. And I wouldn't call him one of our _best_, especially since we don't know the details of the debate between him and young Jaco during their mission outside."

Nerah flinched slightly at the name. "In any case, it is still suicide and you know it!"

Tane looked back at Wynn, grimacing. "This is not good, is it?

Wynn glared at his partner. "Oh, no. That would be an understatement."

It was at that moment that the Zoras noticed the people before them. "Ah, we have company," the king observed, his deep voice booming over the trio.

Tane stepped up to the platform, sweeping his arm before him and bowing grandly. "Ah, beg pardon for the intrusion, Your Majesty. I have come looking for an…acquaintance…of mine, and was directed this way."

"Go on," the king urged, his face slipping into an expression of polite boredom.

"Ah, yes. I was looking for a Zora by the name of Zaruu…"

The pair on the ledge froze at the name. So did Tane, his smile becoming strained. Wynn could barely hear him mutter, "Any second now, they drop the hammer. Here it comes…"

The Zoras turned to face each other, a conversation held in the glance. A long moment later, they looked back to the three, and the female spoke. "And your relation to Zaruu is, if I may ask?"

"Ah…that is…I would call it 'former business partners.'"

"By 'business', and knowing Zaruu, I take that to mean you are a mercenary. Am I correct?" The voice was just slightly colder than the air in the room.

Tane coughed into a hand. "Well, I…yes."

Again, the Zoras shared a look. "And the people with you? Mercenaries as well?" The Zora woman's eyes swept over Fami, then moved to Wynn. Her first examination of him was just cursory; the second started at his boots and moved slowly up as a smile quirked the side of her face. Wynn coughed into his hand, hiding a slight uncomfortable blush.

"I'm just here to make sure these two stay out of trouble," Fami said, surreptitiously jabbing Tane in the back as she smiled at the Zoras.

Wynn frowned. "I would suppose you could call me that, though it's not my preferred line of work."

The king regarded the woman. "Nerah, what are you getting at?"

Nerah smiled, although a different sort than the one she had been giving Wynn a moment before. This one was decidedly colder. "Well, they _are_ Zaruu's friends, and I feel quite certain he could use help right now…"

Wynn leaned forward, whispering into Tane's ear. "Is it too late to mention I don't even know Zaruu?"

Tane chuckled weakly. "Is it too late to make a break for it and not stop running until we're back in Hyrule Field?"

The king sighed again. "Very well, Nerah. I suppose it is a last resort, but it _must_ be done." He squinted down at the trio, shaking his head slightly. "But I highly doubt that they will be much help to a trained Zora warrior."

Wynn gripped Tane's arm just above the elbow, squeezing just a little too hard. "I really, really wish I had just slept in yesterday. I never would have met you, and my life would be much less complicated right now. And probably longer."

"You see," the king began, "we have a problem on our hands. A rather big one, I'm afraid."

Tane's smile was painful. "Go on, Your Majesty."

"You see, for many years we have enjoyed the protection of our patron deity, Jabu-Jabu. His wisdom and insight has guided our people for ages, and his magic has kept our waters clean and safe. However, his powers were not enough to shield us from the reach of the Evil King Ganondorf; well, not in the end. He was able to keep our waters and home shielded for many years after Hyrule Castle fell to the king of the Gerudos, mainly due to the fact that Ganondorf was too busy consolidating his power to worry with our people. We encouraged that, staying out of the matter to a major extent, save for a few scouting expeditions that kept an eye on the river and beat back any monsters that tried to infect our home."

"Unfortunately, while some of our most capable soldiers were out on one such expedition, Ganondorf attacked, not the city itself or The School, but rather the headwaters, the Zora's Fountain. He left one of his foul minions here to conquer our domain, and…" the king swept an arm out indicating the ice, "you can see the results."

"Jabu-Jabu was sealed beneath the waters of the fountain, entombed in magical ice. Without his magic, we are very vulnerable, not to mention the effect his presence would have on the thawing of our city. Still, we are unable to free Jabu-Jabu due to one thing," the female interjected.

"Let me guess. Ganon's little minion is still around?" Tane hazarded.

Nerah shook her head slightly. "I wouldn't use the word 'little', I'm afraid."

"By the Goddesses, I was afraid she was going to say that," Tane moaned under his breath.

"The beast, the Zess, still dwells within the fountain. As long as it remains, our people will not be safe, nor will the waters that all people of Hyrule depend upon!"

"And so Zaruu has gone to kill it. Alone." Nerah stated.

Tane nodded wearily. "One moment, please. Let me confer with my friends."

He turned to Wynn, who was standing with arms crossed and scowling. "Well?"

"I hate you."

"With good reason."

"I will make you regret this. Somehow."

"I already am."

"Fine," Wynn said, loosening his sword in his sheath. "Let's save your friend." Fami nodded beside him, and Tane ran his fingers through his hair in irritation.

"I was afraid you would say that." Tane put the smile back, and turned back to the royal. "Very well, Your Highness. My partner and I have agreed to come to your aid."

"Wonderful!" the woman Zora purred. "If you'll come this way, I will lead you to him."

"The Zora people appreciate your aid, and we will not fail to reward you should you succeed," the king promised.

"If we're alive to collect," Tane mumbled under his breath.

******

Moments later, the four stood outside. They were standing on what would have been the shallows of a massive lake, on that stretched farther than any could see through the mist hovering over the water. They would have been waist-deep in the lake, had it not been mostly frozen, with some of the water passing through the wooden fence to the left of the cave exit and running down to form the waterfall. Other than that, the lake's surface was solid and smooth.

"With Ganon's demise, the Zess no longer had the power to seal all of our home in ice. However, that means its power is concentrated here, which is why the entire lake is covered." Nerah informed them.

Nearby, a shrine rose above the ice, a few stairs leading onto a flat platform with a square pillar at each of the four corners. Standing on the shrine was another Zora, this one wearing a leather tunic with a longsword belted to his side. He was waiting, staring off into the distance, hand on the hilt of the sword.

"There he is, Wynn! Come on!" Tane said, jogging towards his friend.

Fami moved to follow, but Wynn caught her arm. "No, Fami, you stay here."

"And what makes you think you can tell me what to do?"

"Please, Fami." Wynn met her gaze, emphasizing the word. "Please."

"…fine. But if you go and get yourself killed…!"

Wynn didn't respond, letting go of her and setting off after Tane. Fami watched him go, struggling with the desire to run after him.

"That man…is he your lover?"

Fami blushed at the frank question from the Zora girl. "Ah, no."

"Ah. Just a friend, then?"

"Yes…you could say that," Fami answered cautiously.

Nerah's eyebrow rose as she watched Wynn go to Tane, staring a little too intently for Fami's liking. "He seems like he would make a good…friend."

Fami glared at the other woman, who ignored her. Giving up, Fami turned back to watch as the three men talked.

Wynn caught up with Tane just as the other reached the Zora. "Zaruu!"

The Zora's greeting was decidedly less jovial. "Tane, what in the blazes are you doing out here?"

"Bailing your fishy behind out of the fire…erm, ice, just like the old days. You just don't know when you're in over your head, do you?" Tane responded, chuckling.

The Zora arched an eyebrow. "You're hardly one to talk. Just stay out of the way, Tane. I can handle this." Without another word, the Zora took off, running out onto the icy lake.

"Sure you can, pal." Tane shook his head. "Fifty rupees said he drank too much and made another fool bet with Panu over whether he could do this. Idiot."

Before Wynn could reply, a roar destroyed the calm silence of the misty lake, resounding off the walls and making the two men take a step back.

"Whatever it is, it sounds _big_," Tane groaned.

The ice trembled as a massive shadow blackened the area before Zaruu. A spiderweb of cracks spread out, like glass breaking in slow motion. As the two men watched in horror, the ice finally gave way.

The Zess burst out of the water. It was a massive serpent, the head alone more than twice the length of the men. The jaws opened as the beast roared, a shrill shriek that made the watchers clap their hands to their ears. The creature's mouth stretched most of the length of its head, and was lined with wicked fangs, with two of them hanging over the creature's lower lip, easily double the length of swords. Two gills fanned from the sides of its neck, pulsing as it slowly lowered its face to regard the Zora before it. Its dark eyes were heavily lidded as it stared at Zaruu, hissing hungrily. Wynn frowned as he noticed the third eye on the creature's forhead. This unnatural eye glowed a fiery red as it stared at Zaruu.

Zaruu raised his sword as he shouted fiercely, charging at the creature. The creature hissed again, sounding almost amused, as a thick membrane nictitated over the third eye. Closing with the creature, Zaruu brought his sword around in a fearsome swing right across the belly of the serpent.

The Zora stepped back as the sword rebounded with a 'clang'. Zaruu stared incredulously at the snake's unharmed scales. He looked up in shock at the serpent, which craned his head down at him. The gills fluttered as the creature inhaled, the eyes holding Zaruu in place.

"Tactical withdrawal, Zaruu!" Tane shouted, and the Zora broke from his trance and heeded Tane's advice, scrambling for the shrine. He didn't even get close.

With a shrieking roar, the Zess exhaled, the air coming out as a blizzard-like cloud of ice. The frozen breath overtook Zaruu, and the heroes could hear his cut-off scream. When the breath dissipated, a frozen mound was the only remains of Zaruu.

"Not good. Not good at all," Wynn noted. Tane was trembling in rage, his jaw working fiercely.

"You'll pay for that, you slime-covered freak of nature!" Tane screamed, charging at the creature.

"It just keeps getting worse!" Wynn ran after his partner, unsheathing his sword.

The Zess watched them come, its stuttered hiss sounding remarkably like a chuckle. It waited until they were nearly to it before it lunged, its jaws snapping down after Tane. The man dove to the side, and the maw snapped down where he had been standing. The head whipped back, snatching at Wynn, who dodged back, out of its reach.

Roaring, the snake retreated, the head sliding back under the ice, which froze back over it. "What's the fool thing doing now?" Tane shouted, and Wynn shrugged back, then stopped.

"Behind you!"

Tane scrambled away as the ice behind him cracked and shattered. In a spray of frozen shards, the snake rose out of the water again; however, this time it was the tail that waved threateningly. Wynn's eyes widened as he looked at the tail, which was covered in barbs and spikes. With a muted shriek, the Zess slammed the tail down at Tane, who just barely evaded being skewered.

Tane's flight had carried him near to one of the sheer cliff walls that lined the lake. He winced as he heard the ice begin to crack behind him, realizing he had just done an exemplary job of trapping himself in a corner. As he heard the beast burst from the ice and shriek in triumph, he turned to face it. "Come on, then, you icicle with a tail! Come and get me!"

The Zess was quick to comply, lunging forward with jaws agape. Yelping, Tane dived the one direction no one had expected, sliding forward under the Zess' bite. The snake collided with the wall with a bone-crushing 'thump, cratering the stone, and lay there, stunned, gills weakly fluttering as its eyes rolled back into its head. Wynn took the opportunity, charging at the one target he could reach that was not covered in scales.

The serpent cried out as Wynn's blade sank deep into the flesh of its gills, whipping its head away and darting under water. Wynn looked from the blood on his sword to Tane. "That hurt it, at least."

"Or just made it mad!" Tane yelled, running to get away as the ice near Wynn began to give way.

Wynn dashed away as well, but as the ground in front of him began to crack, he realized he had been tricked. The Zess burst skyward once again, sending Wynn sprawling back. He climbed to his feet, shaking his head to clear it, only to see the Zess' head hovering before him, jaws slightly opened. The wounded gill on the right was bleeding fiercely, the black blood dripping out onto the ice in a steaming puddle. He tried to move to the side, but the head followed. He was trapped between the shrine and two cliff walls, with nowhere to run, and it wasn't going to fall for Tane's maneuver twice.

Again, the creature inhaled, the gills flickered, the right one with less energy. The mouth opened slightly, and Wynn could see the freezing mist drifting out over the fangs. Wynn felt cold now, but he knew that was nothing next to what was coming.

The serpent's eyes shot open as it jerked, the mouth falling open but no lethal breath escaping. The head snapped skyward as it shrieked in ear-tearing agony. Wynn looked to the left, and saw Tane standing there, smiling grimly, his ax head covered in black blood. "Guess the ax hurt a little more."

Screaming all the way, the head slowly slid back underwater, the sound fading as the ice resealed over it. The two waited, but nothing happened. "Is it…did it die already?" Tane asked.

"Look out, Wynn!" Fami screamed from the cave.

Wynn and Tane fumbled, trying to regain their balance, as the ice-covered surface of the entire lake heaved and trembled. The surface just in front of the shrine rippled, thin cracks spraying out and over again. With a cry more terrible than any previous, the Zess once again resurfaced, black blood streaming from its wounded gills. Staring down at the two with immense hatred, the Zess arced back, preparing to strike.

"Or maybe the ax just made it _really_ mad…"

With the speed of a blink, the Zess lunged. Intuitively, the pair fled at just the right moment, flinging themselves to either side as the beast thundered down where they had been standing, slamming its fangs onto the ice with such force the incisors were buried. It yanked its head back, but it couldn't move; the strike had locked it into its own ice.

The two took this opportunity, dashing for the gills. Just as they reaching it, however, they closed up, protected from any further attacks. "What's it doing?" Tane shouted, and Wynn stepped back, inspected the motionless serpent. He looked up, and saw the third eye was now uncovered, and was changing from an angry red to a chilling light blue. Wynn shivered, then more strongly, wrapping his arms around himself, as he felt waves of cold emanate from the eye. He glanced down, and watched frost grow over his sword, then ice. He leaned, nearly falling over, as the cold leached the heat from his body. He felt like the entire world had forgotten the concept of warm…

_Can_'_t give in_. _Have to fight it_. _Have to stay alive_. _I_'_m not going to die like this_!

The crystal at the end of his sword flared with light. Wynn gritted his teeth as he forced his body to move, forced his legs to run, forced his arms to raise his frozen sword. He ran to the Zess' face, ran up the snout, shouting all the way. Tane had collapsed beside the snake, and he could hear a scream as the wave of cold reached the cave, but he didn't have the luxury to think now. He ran up the face to the eye, sword lifting higher, point facing down.

The third eye pulsed, and a stronger wave of cold slammed into Wynn, nearly freezing him where he stood, almost locking his muscles, but the crystal pulsed against it. Shouting as loudly as he could, he drove the point home. The blade sank into the eye, which began to splinter and crack like glass.

The Zess tore its head free from the ice, whipping it about desperately to try to shake Wynn off, but he held on to his blade with equal determination. Finally, the beast stopped, head drooping. Seizing the opportunity, Wynn twisted the sword.

The eye shattered into hundreds of crystalline pieces, and the Zess flung its head back in agony. Unfortunately, Wynn's sword's only hold on the snake was the shattered eye, so the move sent the man flying over the shrine to land with the sounds of cracking bones as his shoulder met the ice. He groaned once, and then didn't move.

The Zess pointed straight up, its final shriek dwindling as it slowly slid into the waters, which were boiling black with its steaming blood. The gills, the eyes, the tip of the snout passed beneath the rapidly melting ice, and the Zess was gone. This hole did not reseal over it, but rather began to grow as the ice melted away.

"Wynn!" Fami cried, dashing out of the cave to run to the prone man. She knelt beside him, shaking him gently to try to wake him. She winced as she noticed the unhealthy angle at which his arm was twisted.

"Move!" Nerah ordered, shoving Fami aside. She looked around, then grabbed Wynn's sword. Cupping her hand below the tip, she slid her hand down the blade, rubbing the ice that coated it off into her waiting hand. She dropped the sword, cupping both her hands around the ice and holding her hands before her mouth as she began to speak soft words in a language Fami didn't understand.

As she finished, she moved her hands away, holding them above Wynn's injured arm. Slowly, she slid the hands open, pouring the melted ice, now glowing a soft blue, onto the shoulder. As Fami watched, the enchanted water seeped into Wynn's clothes. The arm twitched, moving back to a healthier position as the shattered bones mended themselves.

Wynn groaned as he stirred, turning his head to look up into the concerned faces of the two women. He blinked dully, shaking his head in a futile attempt to clear it. "Hey," was all he could manage to say at the moment, but he figured that would suffice.

"Hello there," Nerah purred.

Fami was too busy glaring at the other woman to respond to the fallen man.

Meanwhile, Tane was hustling to get off the ice and onto the safety of the shrine. The ice gave under his feet just as he caught the edge of the platform and pushed off, heaving himself onto the dry ground. He turned around, plopping down and dangling his feet off the edge of the platform as he watched the lake thaw.

The frozen mound that had been Zaruu tilted as the ice below it thinned and the edge of the expanding hole began to encompass the ground under it. Tane smiled grimly as he watched it slid abruptly into the heaving water. "At least I won't have to melt him out myself."

Tane impatiently drummed his fingers as he waited for Zaruu to resurface. He figured that if the entire race had been frozen by that oversized worm, a little gust like that wouldn't be able to take out a tough-skinned old sell-sword like his former coworker. He smiled as his suspicions were confirmed; a shadow was quickly rising up near the shrine.

His eyes widened as the shadow kept getting bigger. "Oh, no!" Tane cried, scrambling to get away. "Not again! WYNN!"

The water exploded behind him, sending a warm wave onto the hapless mercenary. Tane stumbled onto the ground, then rolled over, ready for the maw of the serpent to close over him at any moment. He paused, still waiting, before pushing himself up on his elbows.

He yelped as he saw the enormous mouth waiting just beyond the edge of the shrine, opened wide enough for him to stand inside. Had he been thinking clearly, he would have noticed the teeth were dull and rounded instead of fangs, and might have noticed that the indrawn breath was more of a yawn than a precursor to an attack, but thinking clearly wasn't very likely at this moment.

"Lord Jabu-Jabu! You have returned to us!" Nerah shouted, dashing towards the shrine.

Slowly, satisfied, the mouth slid shut. Tane blinked as he beheld the Zora's patron deity, Jabu-Jabu. The creature was a fish of immense proportions; it wasn't humanoid like the Zoras, instead looking like something someone would be cooking for dinner, only magnified exponentially. It rumbled happily as Nerah approached, the wide, ancient eyes narrowing as the broad lips curling in a vague approximation of a smile.

Tane shook his head in wonder, then looked to the side as he head a splash beside the platform. Coughing wearily, Zaruu pushed himself onto the shrine and tried to stand, but gave up, laying face down. Tane stood up and walked to him, patting his friend on the back. "You owe me one, pal."

"Tell me about it," Zaruu moaned.

Laughing to himself, Tane strolled back over to where Wynn had finally managed to find his feet, a quietly scolding Fami trying to keep him from overexerting himself. Tane flashed his partner a roguish grin as he jerked his head back to indicate the lake and the fallen Zess. "Guess that takes care of that, eh?"

Wynn weakly chuckled in response. "I hope so."

Tane started to respond, but was cut off as Nerah dashed past him. "You've done it! You've saved us! Come on, I have to take you to tell the king!"

Wynn couldn't help but follow as Nerah dragged him by the hand towards the cave. He shot his partner a helpless, apologetic glance as he disappeared into the Zora's Domain.

"But…what about…isn't she forgetting someone here?!?" Tane yelled.

Fami patted the mercenary consolingly on the arm before sprinting off, chasing after the pair. Tane slumped, jaw agape. "Such is the thankless work of a mercenary. Stupid, lousy, trout-brained girl."

Throwing one last look over his shoulder at the lake, Tane followed the three into the cavern.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Master, I have returned."

Icarnos turned slowly to regard the intruder, the only man that could enter his private sanctum and survive. His wizened face slipped into a scowl as he regarded his kneeling apprentice coldly, practically daring the man to make an error in etiquette. He would tolerate no mistakes from his pupil, and coming into this room uninvited was one of them…under normal circumstances.

"Did you find him?" The demand was cold and flat. Seron blanched slightly; that tone was never a good sign.

"Ah…no. The ranchers had not seen him in some time, and he was not in Kakariko either. I don't have any idea where he could have gone to, but-"

"Enough! If I wanted speculation, I'd go to a more intelligent source!" Fuming, the aged wizard whirled in a flash of robes, turning his back to his student. "Are you so incompetent that I couldn't trust you to find your own toes? Buffoon!"

Seron glowered at his master's back, wanting nothing more than to show the cranky old fool just how competent he really was. Restraining himself, he turned his gaze across the clutter and mess of Icarnos' private workshop, trying to distract himself from the slight ache in his knee; he dared not rise from his kneel lest he face a headache from Icarnos' redoubled complaining. All around were tables with heaps of unidentifiable arcane trinkets, closets full of dust-shrouded diagrams and vials of murky liquids, shelves piled over with moldy books and transcripts on yellowed parchment. One man's treasure is another man's refuse, but Seron doubted anyone possessed of his sanity could find value in the rubbish strewn across this room. Of course, the person in question was none other than his addle-minded excuse for a teacher, so sanity would probably leave this room the moment Seron did.

His eyes continued their meager amusements, wandering over the room as he master continued to rant and rail. He eyes passed over the medallion without notice, but were drawn back inexplicably. He blinked, leaning forward for a closer view to the thing.

The medallion was actually a black crystal, held on a simple leather cord looped over the edge of one of the cabinets. The crystal was a smoky black, but if Seron squinted he could make out a darker shade inside, another, much smaller, crystal, set inside the first. This one was a black the likes of which Seron had never seen…it was darkness taking physical form. Seron stood, wanting to move closer. That black gem…it looked somehow…familiar…

Icarnos glanced to the side as he recovered his breath. He couldn't believe his eyes as he noticed the black crystal pulsing weakly, growing in strength. He whirled, finger pointing in accusation at his apprentice, who froze, halfway across the room, approaching on the medallion. Icarnos growled as he took a threatening step toward his apprentice. "OUT! Get…out!"

Seron stepped back, but cast a hesitant look to the medallion, not wanting to leave it. The bolt of lightning that flew from his master's finger and struck his shoulder changed his mind. Seron threw himself to his feet and dashed out of the room, a second lance of electricity striking the door just after he passed through it.

Icarnos stopped, chest heaving in fury as he stared at the doorway Seron had fled through. He pivoted slowly, facing the medallion. "He isn't for you, not yet. Not while I cannot be sure of him. You are better not wasted on one of such negligible talent, even considering his lineage."

The wizard turned, considering the door and the apprentice that had passed on, running through the halls of Icarnos' lair. "No, not yet. Not ever."

And with the matter settled, Icarnos turned back to his musing about that young man, Wynn, and gave the matter not another thought.

******

"Do you mean to tell me that he, this young Hylian, is responsible for the demise of the Zess? He is the one who has lifted the curse from the fountain?"

Wynn sweated under the king's scrutiny, scratching his head. Somewhere deep inside, he wondered if he should be offended by the king's doubt, but that wasn't very important. What was important was the fact that Zoras were quickly filing into the throne room, desperately curious about the fall of the monster that had threatened them once again with an icy prison. More than a few of these were scrutinizing Wynn with the same intensity as the rotund king that stared down at him, and that was making him feel more and more like dashing away from the swell of people that encompassed him.

"Yes, Uncl-… that is, yes, Your Majesty! Wynn here single-handedly defeated the beast! I've never seen such bravery, such skill! Without him, we would-"

"Ahem! I would like to claim some of the credit as well, hmm?" Wynn gazed with relief upon Tane, who was making his way down to the petitioner's platform Wynn stood on. The mercenary gave his partner a nod, and the Zora girl a disapproving frown.

"Well, yes, of course. Both Wynn and…what was your name? played a role in the beast's defeat, although it was Wynn who climbed atop the serpent and struck the killing blow." The Zora girl, who had slipped her arm around Wynn's, squeezed him gently. Wynn blushed, mainly at his own inability to find the words to dispute the woman's over-exaggerated depiction of the role in the battle.

"I am Tane, thank you very much, and-"

"Farore be praised!" the king exclaimed, raising his hands into the air. "Once again, we find ourselves in the debt of a young Hylian, once again freed from a curse through the valor and determination of a hero from outside! We must reward him for his bravery and service to our people!"

"Them," Tane said, but it was lost in the joyous shout of the crowd. "Them, not him. Am I invisible?"

"I'm afraid you are giving me more credit than is my due, Your Majesty," Wynn managed. "Without my partner, Tane, I would have never stood a chance."

"Finally!"

"I see," the royal Zora rumbled. "There can be only one course for us now. We must hold a feast to honor our young heroes!"

Wynn glanced over at Tane and Fami. The mercenary gave him a grin, finally pleased to be in the spotlight. Fami was scowling at Nerah, who was once again squeezing Wynn's arm.

"Word shall be sent to the cooks immediately! But you must be exhausted from the battle. Please, accept our hospitality this night."

Wynn started to reject the king's offer as kindly as he could; he had more important business elsewhere, once he got the rupees. Tane beat him to the punch, but his answer wasn't quite the one Wynn had intended.

"Certainly, Your Majesty! We accept you gracious offer."

Wynn sighed. Surely one night wouldn't hurt too much…

"Wonderful! Nerah, kindly escort our guests to their rooms. We have a celebration to prepare!"

Nerah leaned closer to Wynn so she could be heard over the cheers. "Right this way," she purred, not relenting her hold on his arm.

She led the three up and out of the throne room, back into this Zora's Fountain. Wynn was pleased to see the fountain had nearly returned to normal, save that meant they had to wade waist-deep to follow the Zora woman. This time, she led them away from the shrine, to the wooden fence that the water passed through on its way to the river. Nerah released Wynn and stepped boldly up to the fence, and called out, "Nerah, with guests of the king."

Although the Hylians couldn't see why or how, a section of the fence swung away untouched, permitting the four to pass beyond. The Zora led them downhill, the route being a rough, weathered trail that ran alongside and sometimes across the runoff from the fountain. Finally, they reached a clearing, where the water fell off a man-high cliff into a small lake. Beyond, the ground dropped away, and the rumbling thunder of the water let the three know they were just above the waterfall that guarded the city.

Nerah turned when she reached the lake, and waited until Fami had caught up with the others before motioning to the water. "You are the first Hylians in many, many years to be permitted to enter this part of our home; the last were the King Harkinian and his infant daughter, and one of his court magicians. While our peoples have not been hostile to each other, it takes great deeds to earn enough trust to be allowed to enter The School." She beamed at Wynn. "Much like what you did here today." She turned, wading into the water. "This way."

As the others watched, she walked out near the center of the small lake, now past her waist, and then suddenly sank below the water. The trio paused, waiting for her to resurface, but the surface of the water remained unbroken. The three looked at each other, uncertain.

"She ain't the brightest," Tane noted, nodding to himself. "First, she forgets how many people it took to kill the snake. Now, she forgets we don't have gills."

"I trust she knows that…maybe its just a short distance underwater?"

"Or maybe she's trying to drown us," Fami muttered darkly.

"Well, if they wanted to kill us for some reason, they have had plenty of opportunities before now."

"And what would you call sending you to fight a colossal, ice-breathing serpent created by the King of Evil?"

"Uh..."

Fami smirked, crossing her arms. "That point being made, who wants to go first?"

Tane nodded to Wynn. "You're up, pal. At least she _ likes_ you…that much has been made quite obvious."

The darker-haired man's shoulders slumped. "Thanks."

"No problem. If it really is trouble, just shout, and I'll be right there to help."

Wynn didn't waste energy pointing out the obvious, intentional flaw in Tane's logic. Instead, he made his way forward, out to the place where Nerah had disappeared under the water. As he reached the spot, his foot failed to find ground, and he pitched forward, falling into the hole in the lake's bed. A current yanked him down further, pulling him under the water's surface without so much as a chance for a last gasp of air. The water captured him, shuttled him into the dark earth. Wynn was bounced about senselessly as the water jostled him against the walls of the chute, until he no longer knew in what direction he was moving, only the sensation of speed and darkness.

Wynn coughed, his remaining air forced from him by burning lungs, and suddenly the darkness deepened. His friends had been right to fear; Nerah had led them to their deaths. As his body's demand for air grew too strong to resist, a dull roar built inside his head, and suddenly he was floating, falling, flying- making a large splash as he hit the bottom of the short waterfall at the end of the chute.

Flailing, he scrambled for the surface, and his head burst out of the water with an explosive gasp. He felt gentle hands on his arm, guiding him to shore, but could hardly do anything to help them. Finally, his knees made contact, and he pushed himself up out of the water, retching and coughing water onto the ground.

"My, my…not much for water, are you?" quipped the Zora girl, peering down at the bedraggled man.

"A warning…would have been nice…" Wynn managed.

"I guessed you would figure it out."

"Do me a favor and lower your expectations of me a little, all right?"

Nerah laughed softly at that. "No, I don't think so."

Wynn slowly climbed to his feet, wiping the water from his eyes. He noticed he was in a tunnel, which led from the pool behind him to a corner a short distance away. He glanced back at the waterfall that poured from the chute into the pool. The water surged out from a hole several body-lengths above its more peaceful end, which probably seeped out and back towards the river.

As he examined the fall, the water current increased, a wave of water preceding a red-topped blur that plummeted into the pool. Wynn weakly stepped towards his partner, but Nerah made no move to do the same, instead grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back, motioning towards the top of the waterfall, which was again growing in strength.

Wynn winced as the green shape that burst out of the chute collided with the struggling form of Tane. He hurriedly waded into the water, Nerah just behind, and grabbed on to one of his prone friends. The pair dragged them to the shore, where they began to expulse the water in much the same fashion as Wynn had.

After they had recuperated enough to speak, Tane turned on the Zora woman. "What was that?!?" he demanded, taking a threatening step forward.

"The chute?" Nerah smiled, shrugging. "Security measure."

"Security measure! Ha! No wonder you people have a name for being paranoid!"

Nerah's eyebrow raised. "You would be too, if you Hylians had half the number of catastrophes we've had to face in the past 20 years."

"We'll not get into that right now."

Nerah nodded, motioning further down the passage. "Well, if you will follow me, I'll take you to your rooms."

The Zora woman led them forward, down the tunnel that led away from the chute. The trio followed closely behind her, marveling at the smooth walls of the tunnel, walls that had been carved not by tools or the hands of mortal workers but over centuries by the waters of the fountain, waters that had been redirected by the Zoras. The walk was not a long one, as soon they came to the heart of the School, a massive cavern even larger than the Domain where they had met the king.

"Its…" Fami trailed off, staring in wonder at the subterranean city.

"Its home," Nerah said warmly, sweeping an arm out. "Welcome to the School."

Wynn gaped at the city, or at least what he could see of it. Below them, at the base of the cavern, was a flat span of rock that was already being decorated for the coming feast. The area was large enough to seat the entire Zora population, Wynn guessed, and probably would that night. Not far above the ground, a ring of stone formed another path around the base of the city. Set into the walls of the ring were doors, carved into the stone wall of the cave itself. Above that was another, similar ring. The pattern continued, expanding the cavern as it went up until the rocky roof of the cave capped the final ring, the one just above where Wynn and his friends stood.

"Do all of those doors lead into people's homes?" Fami asked, incredulous.

Nerah nodded. "Most do; some are shops or other businesses."

Tane smirked over at the awe-struck Fami. "A bit bigger than what you're used to, eh?"

"You could say that," Fami responded, her voice taking on a slightly nervous tone.

"Now, if you'll come this way," Nerah prompted, leading the group to a ramp that led to the ring below. She led the down several levels before stopped at an inset door decorated by ornate carvings around the cave wall that framed it. Wynn paused as she knocked at the door, running his hand over the stonework.

"This is Goron work, isn't it?" Wynn inquired, admiring the skill it had to have taken to carve the stone so subtly and beautifully.

Nerah smiled, impressed that he had noticed. "Yes, it is. As a token of peace, the Gorons sent several of their stone carvers to us just after the Great War. They helped us repair damage the School had taken during the war, and also expanded the cave to better fit our population."

"Hunh. So, someone actually managed to attack this place during the war? They must have been pretty determined, if they got past your…security measures."

Nerah's face darkened in response to Tane's remark. "Yes, several magicians managed to make it into this cavern during the last years of the war. Many Zoras were killed, and if not for the sacrifice of one man our home would have been lost. But that is a story for another day." She pushed the door open, motioning inside. "Your rooms are right in here."

The door led into a hallway, lit by several torches along the walls. Doors staggered along the walls until the corridor turned a corner. Nerah led the trio to one such door, pulling a key from the pocket of her coat. She slipped it into the door and pushed it open, smiling at Wynn. "Here is your room. I hope you like it….if you need anything, I'll be down at the floor of the School as soon as I'm done here.

Wynn thanked her, stepping into the room and pulling the door closed. He glanced about the small area, nodding in approval. The room was brightly lit by two lanterns hung on opposing walls. The majority of the space was taken up by an expansive bed, easily large enough to hold two; Wynn forbid himself to even wonder if that was why Nerah had chosen this room for him. A dresser sat against another wall, but Wynn only had the clothes on his back, so that was of no interest to him. A couple of chairs and a desk were the only remaining furniture in the room.

Wynn collapsed onto the bed, groaning in relief. The mattress was dry, despite the humidity present everywhere in the cave. Feebly kicking his boots off, Wynn pushed himself further onto the bed. What he needed was a few hours of peace and quiet, and a little sleep. As a matter of fact, he decided, now was a good time to try for just that. His lips curled in a small smile as he closed his eyes, allowing his mind to sink into listlessness just as his body sank into the plush mattress.

His eyes shot open as a knock sounded at the door. 'You've got to be kidding me,' he thought, pushing himself off the bed and stumbling towards the door.

He pulled the door open to find Tane on the other side. "Hey, partner," Tane greeted. "Thought I'd check out your room before I settled in."

He stepped past Wynn, who took the opportunity to roll his eyes in exasperation, inspecting Wynn's temporary home. "Not bad, not bad. Hey, you got a bigger bed than me." His face reddened slightly as he came to the same conclusion Wynn had avoided earlier. "Ah. Yeah. Lucky you."

Wynn shook his head, rubbing at his temples. He glanced around, noticing the dresser again. "Say, Tane, what are we going to do about clothes? This sounds to be pretty formal, and the only clothes I have are these I'm wearing. Considering they're bloody and dirty, I figured I might want to change."

Tane chuckled. "Wynn, pal, don't know if you've noticed, but Zoras don't hold much respect in clothing. Well probably have to mention something to that girl…or preferably someone else, who knows what she would give you."

"But…well, I noticed that male Zoras didn't, but…"

"Nerah was probably wearing that coat because she was cold. Female Zoras don't wear anything either, usually."

"…Oh."

Tane laughed at his partner's discomfort. "You'll get used to it."

Another knock at the door cut off Wynn's reply. The man opened it to find a male Zora on the other side. "Your clothing, sir. Lady Nerah sent word that your party would need a change of clothes," he said, the last part coming out slightly strained as though the concept seemed odd to him. "We fortunately have some on hand that should fit your measurements."

"Thanks," Wynn said, taking the folded bundle from the man. "It's much appreciated."

The Zora bowed deeply before saying his farewell. Tane chose that moment to leave, hoping the Zora would have the same for him. Wynn shut the door behind his partner, and then walked to his bed, lowering the bundle of clothes onto it and spreading it out. He smiled when he saw the blue shirt, holding it up to the light; he had always liked the color blue. He lowered the shirt back onto the bed and sat down beside it, indulging himself with just a moment's more rest. He could already tell he would need it, since it was obvious he wouldn't be seeing much more until after the feast.

'I appreciate the king's hospitality,' he mused, 'but right now, the kindest gift he could give me would be a good nap.'

Sighing, he pulled himself off the bed, and started cleaning himself up for the coming feast.

******

"Feeling better now, Lord Jaco?"

Jaco shook his head slightly, chuckling at the hint of sarcasm when his former subordinate used his title. He groaned loudly as he stretched, hearing the bones popped as the long-unused muscles stretched to their limits. "About as good as could be expected, Panu. Which isn't saying much."

Panu smiled ingratiatingly as he leaned against the wall of Jaco's chambers. "I remember the feeling well, milord. After all, I was just freed from the ice two days ago."

Jaco frowned as he heard Panu used his title once again. That was not a good sign. Sighing, he turned to regard the other Zora, his eyes narrowed in cautious suspicion. Knowing Panu, his next few words had quite the sum of rupees resting on them. The skinny Zora smiled even wider back at him. He was dressed well for the coming feast; a well made leather vest covered his chest, his lucky pair of dice, made of pure gold, nestled against the neck of the vest. He wore a sword belted to his side, as would all that had served in the Zoran military; such was considered an honor in their society. His scabbard, however, was tooled in gems and gold. Jaco had a rough idea of just how much that had cost the man, which was nothing at all; Panu was master of the dice and other forms of easy money.

"So, out with it, man. You're here for a reason."

Panu opened his eyes wide, his mouth opening with a protest, which would of course be a blatant lie. Jaco shook his head as he raised a finger, urging the man to honesty. Panu dipped into a small bow, the smile never leaving his face. "You know me too well, Commander. But, honestly, the main reason for my visit is just as a favor to you, not in search of profit."

"Your main reason, hmm? I guess profit would be the other one."

"True enough, as always. I came to bring you some information, straight from trustworthy sources, I can assure you."

"Just like always. You have the most precise rumor mill I've ever heard of."

"Thank you, Commander. Actually, this is about the Lady Nerah…" Jaco had turned his back to Panu, choosing a tunic to wear to the feast, but Panu could see his shoulders stiffen at the mention of that name. Jaco's affections for Nerah were the most widely-known secret of the Domain, even though Jaco would be certain that absolutely no one knew. 

"Yes? Out with it, man, I haven't got all day!" Jaco said gruffly, camouflaging his eagerness with a gruff tone.

"Ah, rumors are beginning to spread that she is showing a less than…healthy…interest in one of the Hylians."

Jaco froze, scowling darkly. "You mean, the hero? The one who slayed the Zess?"

"Yes, I do believe that is him; the darker haired one. Her behavior has been almost unladylike while she is around him." Panu tried in vain to restrain a snicker; titles aside, he would call Jaco a lady before he did Nerah.

Jaco sighed, shaking his head slowly. "Her behavior is none of my business, Panu. Who or what she shows interest in is no concern of mine."

"You just wish that interest was you."

"What was that?!?"

"Nothing, milord. Just something caught in my throat, that's all." 

Jaco gave Panu a long, dark stare. "Right. Is that all, Lieutenant?"

Panu's smile became strained as he reached for the doorknob. When he used titles, it was a joke; when Jaco used titles, it was time to leave. Quick. "No, I believe that is all; just wanted to send the information your way."

"Very good. I assume you will strive to keep me informed, am I correct?"

"Yes, of course, sir. You can trust in me." Panu gave a false grin as he pulled the door open. "If you'll excuse me…"

Panu let a relieved sigh escape as the door slid shut behind him. He considered himself lucky; Jaco was an unpredictable man, especially where that spitfire girl was concerned. Of course, Panu mused, that unpredictability was what made being around him so fun.

And profitable. Panu turned the corner to find a huddled group of Zoras eagerly waiting his return. They all tried to speak at once, but he raised a finger, smiling. "Gentlemen, if you please." He pulled a sheet of paper out of one of the pockets of his vest and gave it a cursory glance. "Well, it looks like 'Cold anger and feigned lack of concern' wins it."

"Aw, crud, I was sure something like this would make him throw at least a book or something…"

"Ha! Looks like I'll be eating nice tonight!"

"You just wait. He'll throw a fit soon enough."

Panu smiled as the rupees changed hands, more than a small share going to his own pockets. Yes, he had been lucky that Jaco had taken it so well. But, Panu knew, he was always lucky.

******

"Wynn! Open the door, pal! It's almost time to go!"

"Hunh…? Whu…"

"Wynn! Come on! The feast will be starting soon!"

"If only we could get inside…I know just how to wake him up, and getting the water won't be too hard…"

Wynn groggily rubbed at his eyes as he sat up in the bed, fighting away the last vestiges of what had been a pleasant, dreamless sleep. Climbing unsteadily to his feet, he threw out a hand and braced himself against the wall. "I'm comin', I'm comin'," he mumbled, stumbling towards the door.

"Think I hear him moving around in there…"

Wynn pulled the door opened, his weary eyes squinting to make out the forms of Tane and Fami standing just beyond. "Yeah?" he said in greeting, rubbing an arm across his face. "What is it?"

"It's almost time for the feast, Wynn. You need to get ready!"

The man's eyes shot open as his gradually wakening mind registered what Fami had just said. "Oh no!" He slammed the door, dashing back towards the bed and the clothes the Zoras had given him.

Tane blinked as the door stopped just before it hit his nose. "Well, he took that calmly."

Fami giggled slightly at Wynn's reaction, blushing as she heard the sound of Wynn's swordbelt hit the floor. "He must have been tired. After all, he did just kill the Zess this afternoon."

"He? Don't you mean…oh, that's low."

A few moments later, the door opened again, revealed a panting Wynn, dressed in the Zora's loaned outfit. He ran a hand through his already messy hair, tugging at the slightly tight neck of the tunic. "Are we late?"

"Not yet. Just thought we might want to get there a few minutes early. I figure we're going to go through quite a few introductions tonight, so I thought we might as well get some of them over with. We're just waiting on Nerah."

"Unfortunately," Fami mumbled, reaching up and tugging at Wynn's shoulder, pulling him down towards her. Confused, Wynn complied, bending forward. Head tilted a little to the side, she ran her fingers through his hair, trying in vain to calm it somewhat. Wynn blushed as he heard Tane chuckle at him, but Fami's other hand rested firmly on his shoulder, refusing to let him straighten until her work was done.

"At least the Zoras have decent taste in clothes, surprisingly enough. The stuff they gave us ain't half bad," Tane remarked, glancing down at his own tunic. Wynn managed to turn his head far enough to regard the man; the Zoras had given him a brilliant red tunic, which was only slightly too small for the man, stretching tight over his arms and across his chest. Wynn glanced at Fami as she finally released his shoulder. She was wearing an emerald-colored dress, which sparkled in the torchlight. The dress was cut modestly, and had been meant for a less petite woman, but it still looked appealing on the young woman. Fami smiled at him as he inspected her dress, reaching up to straighten his collar.

"You look very handsome in that tunic, Wynn. Blue suits you."

"Yes, it does," purred a voice from just down the hall. The trio turned to regard the Zora woman walking towards them, recognizing the voice as that of Nerah. The reaction of all three was the same, jaws falling agape, as she walked up to them. "Very nice indeed."

Wynn blushed fiercely as he looked away from the Zora woman. As fish-like as the Zoras were, they were decidedly mammalian in some respects, and Nerah's form of dress, or lack thereof, made that obvious. Wynn's embarrassment only made Nerah's smile widen as she put a hand on his shoulder, looking him up and down. "I'll have to see about acquiring you a Zora Tunic, one that will fit you better. They give the wearer the ability to breathe underwater like us Zoras…very handy if you'll be around the Domain for a time." Her tone made it obvious that she hoped he would be.

"Aren't you going to wear something…anything!...to this feast?" Fami demanded, the pitch of her voice rising.

Nerah smirked at her, resting her hands on her hips. "Of course. I was merely on my way to my chambers, and decided to check in on you all. See if you approved of your rooms, and if there was anything you needed."

"No thanks," Fami growled. "We're fine."

"Very well then," Nerah said, nodding to them. "If you'll excuse me, I'll see to getting ready. I would hate to be late, after all. See you there," she said, her eyes meeting Wynn's as she walked past.

Tane watched her go, scratching his head. Wynn pointedly did not, which was fortunate, because Fami's eyes were daring him to so much as turn his head. "You know, I've been around my share of Zoras, so I'm used to the whole 'no-clothing' thing. After a while, it seems normal. But, her…she's naked."

"It's indecent!" Fami fumed. "Why can't they just wear something?"

"Hunh. Funny that you didn't complain until it was her."

Fami glared death at Tane as Wynn stepped nervously back. "Shouldn't we head on down?" the man asked, motioning down the hall Nerah had taken. "The feast should be starting soon."

Tane glanced down at his stomach, which loudly proclaimed its support of Wynn's plan. "Sounds good to me. Lead the way."

"Would it be bad to hope that she suddenly gets sick and can't come to this feast?"

"Bitter, much?"

Wynn ignored the two as he led them down the hall and back to the center of the School. He blinked as he opened the door into the main chamber, amazed at the volume of the voices coming from below. He walked across the path to the edge, looking down to the base of the cavern, and he gaped in shock at the sheer number of Zoras that had already congregated on the floor. He had never imagined there were that many Zoras in all of Hyrule, but seeing them all in one place…

"Wow. There's a bunch of them."

"You could say that," said the paling Fami, her voice quaking slightly.

Tane grinned as he saw his chance to get the girl back for her comments outside Wynn's room. "Aw, there's not that many. I mean, it's not supposed to start for a little while yet, and there'll be late-comers. Wouldn't surprise me to see, oh, half that number again when the party gets going."

Fami cast a longing look back towards the hall, where her nice, safe, uncrowded room waited, but Wynn placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her towards the ramp leading down to the floor. "Let's get this over with."

******

"There he is."

Jaco turned to look in the direction Zaruu was pointing. He picked out the Hylian easily enough, since his party was the only non-Zoras in the crowd. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he said nothing, merely shrugging. Zaruu, ever the good soldier, smiled and patted Jaco on the back as he walked towards the Hylians. Jaco had always liked Zaruu; he got on Jaco's nerves a lot less than Panu. Everyone got on his nerves less than Panu.

Speaking of the gambler…Jaco cast his eyes over the crowd, searching for the flamboyant rogue. He found him, standing between two Zora women, both wearing gowns that hugged their forms a tad too tightly. It figured. At least he wouldn't be around to twist the knife if Nerah did act…unladylike...around the Hylian.

"Ah, Jaco!"

Jaco smiled as he turned to regard the young Zora woman that had called out to him. "If it isn't the Lady Bera," he greeted, sweeping his arm before him in a formal bow. "It's a pleasure."

The Zora woman beamed up at him as she offered her hand, which Jaco bent over, planting a courtly kiss upon it before grinning at her. She returned his smile, and took his offered arm. "It's been a while, Jaco. I haven't got to see you since before the Zess came…as a matter of fact, not since you went out on the patrol that had you out of the Domain when the monster struck."

"Yes, I suppose it has been quite the time. I must admit, I am surprised to see you here unescorted; where are all the suitors you had following you when I left?"

The girl huffed, glaring in mock anger at him. "Oh, stop, Jaco. You know I finally chased them all off."

Jaco nodded. "I had heard something to that extent." Bera looked up at him, her eyes sparkling as she opened her mouth, but the distracted Jaco unintentionally cut her off. "Say, have you seen your sister about? I, ah, needed to talk to her."

Bera's face fell. "Oh, yes," she said, the biting sarcasm she placed on the words slipping past the oblivious Jaco, "I know she will be along shortly. She's off getting dressed. Said something about wanting to look her best, since this is to honor the hero that slayed the Zess." She smiled coldly when she felt Jaco stiffen.

"Is…is that so? Say, Bera, there is something I wanted to ask you about. Nerah…well, I mean, she is your sister, so I figured…ah…do you know how, well…"

Bera rolled her eyes in exasperation, cutting him off by motioning across the feast hall. "There she is, now."

Her ire grew as she noticed the awe on his face as he stared in her direction. Nerah had chosen to wear a blue gown to the feast, one that caught the light in a thousand different shimmers of azure. It clung to her tightly in places, not enough so to be distasteful, but still enough to stop the stricken Jaco in his tracks. 

Jaco's amazement quickly dissolved into discomfort as he noticed Nerah heading through the crowd, moving straight for the group of Hylians. Managing a vague, "If you'll excuse me," he stepped away from Bera, trailing behind Nerah. Bera watched him go in disgust before stalking away, shaking her head in anger.

Jaco was completely hopeless, Bera decided. But she was stubborn. Nerah had no clue what she was throwing away, but Bera did, and she would get Jaco's attention, no matter what. 

******

"Wow, being famous is nice."

"Yeah, except for the arm cramps I'm going to get from shaking everyone's hand."

Tane frowned at his partner. "At least they want to shake your hand. Most of them are still wondering who I am."

"Ah, Wynn," boomed a voice from beside the pair. "Allow me to introduce you to one of my dearest friends, a respectable young man that may one day take my own place." King Zora motioned to the Zora male following him. "This is Lord Jaco, one of our most skilled swordsmen, a man who has earned the highest praises from those that serve in our army with him, both his superiors and those who serve under him."

Wynn turned to face the king, nodding greetings to the Zora standing beside him and offering his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Jaco."

The Zora accepted Wynn's hand, shaking it firmly. "The honor is mine." Wynn was surprised to notice the Zora looked to be about his own age, as best he could judge. His tunic was a pale blue, almost white, and gold scrollwork decorated the neck and arms. He wore a sword belted to his side, but unlike most of the sheaths Wynn had noticed, his was plain leather, unornamented. The ease Jaco wore the sword with proved he was quite familiar with the weapon. His dark eyes pierced into Wynn's, cold and intelligent, but his face showed no emotion. "We are blessed to receive the aid of a hero like yourself at such a time."

Wynn smiled self-consciously, rubbing the back of his head. "Not quite a hero, I'm afraid. I was just lucky, and couldn't have done it without Tane and Zaruu."

Jaco nodded, his blank expression not shifting. "Yes, Zaruu; a good friend of mine, and a very able fighter. I had heard that he was defeated in the first moments of the battle, though."

"Yeah, but without that old lug, we wouldn't have known what to dodge!" crowed Tane, stepping up beside the pair.

Jaco regarded the red-haired man, a faint smile pulling at the side of his mouth. "Ah, you must be Tane. Zaruu has spoken much of you…so has another of my friends and subordinates."

Wynn glanced at the silent Tane, and noticed the man's face had gone a deathly white. "Aw no…"

"Ah, yes, there's Panu now."

"No no no no no…"

"Tane, buddy! Long time no see!"

Wynn frowned at his partner warily. "Tane, who is Panu?"

"Don't ask; just hold on to your rupees. And if he mentions the word 'bet', run for your life."

Wynn watched as the colorful Zora, wearing a pair of golden dice around his neck as well as a sword with enough decoration to make up for Jaco's lack, came up to Tane and gave the man a comradely slap on the shoulders. "It's been too long," Panu said, his smile stretched from ear to ear. Tane flinched as if he had been stabbed by the Zora's words.

"Yeah," Tane offered weakly. "Feels like it has been forever." He had obviously wanted to keep it that way.

"Oh, that is does, doesn't it. As a matter of fact, it's been years! Why, do you remember the last time we even saw each other?"

"Yes." The word was a sob. Wynn heard Jaco chuckle; obviously, he knew what was coming.

Panu continued, as gratingly happy as ever. "Heh…you know, I remember we had a bet going, just when you left. Something about the Gerudos, and whether or not you could sneak into the fort…"

If Tane had shuddered before, he convulsed now.

"Yes, Zaruu ended up telling me the whole story of what happened that night. The story is a classic, you know; we still tell it around the fire while we're on patrol."

Tane sighed with the defeat of a man standing before the headsman. "Great laughs, huh?"

"Oh, yes! Course, now that I think about it, I guess that means you lost the bet. Course, I never ran into you afterwards…never got to collect on the bet."

Wynn wouldn't have believed it possible, but the man's smile got even wider, and Tane even paler. The stocky man cast a haunted glance in Wynn's direction, and then back to Panu. "Listen, Panu, I meant to come pay you, but I never-"

"Oh, no worries, my friend, no worries at all! I am, after all, a very patient man. It doesn't matter now, since you're finally here."

"Ah, yes, about that...any chance I could get back to you on that? I mean, you know I'm good for it…"

"Of course! Well, I'll have to charge you interest…on principle, you know. Can't have everyone thinking that they can skip out on paying me."

"In…Interest?"

"I assume you're familiar with the practice?"

Tane gulped loudly, fumbling in his tunic. Pulling out his pouch of rupees, he thrust it at the man. "Take it! It's all I've got, but it's enough."

Panu opened the pouch, peering inside. "Why, my friend, I'm afraid you are wrong; you're still short. Fifty rupees, to be exact."

"What?" Tane yelped, his eyes darting in Wynn's direction as he nervously ran his hand through his hair. "The bet was a hundred, pal."

"Yes, it was…two years ago."

Tane slumped, defeated. "Wynn?" he pleaded.

Wynn's eyes narrowed lethally as he regarded his friend. "Yes?" he asked, the word cold enough to freeze.

"I, ah…hate to ask you this…"

Wynn reached into his own tunic and pulled out his own rupees. Panu caught the pouch as Wynn tossed it to him. "That's fifty."

Panu didn't even glance inside this time. "It's been a pleasure, gentleman. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you in any way." 

Wynn glared at Tane, working his jaw. "Not at all."

"Well, then, I shall take my leave of you. I would hate to keep you from the rest of those waiting to talk to you." He glanced to the side, and then nodded at Wynn. "Speaking of…"

Wynn turned as someone came up beside him, placing a hand on his arm. "Wynn," Nerah whispered. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

Wynn blinked at the woman, not noticing Panu vanish back into the crowd. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress, which accented her features enough to draw stares from all around, including both Wynn and Jaco. She smiled warmly at Wynn, pleased at the effect it had on him.

"I…" He coughed into his hand, "Yes, I am enjoying myself. I'll never be able to remember a fraction of the names of the people that keep shaking my hand, but…"

Nerah's smile grew even more mischievous. "Maybe that will come with time, hm?"

"…Nerah. It's been a while."

For an instant, Wynn thought he felt Nerah flinch, but when she turned to face Jaco she showed no sign of it, or any emotion for that matter, on her face. "Hello, Jaco."

The Zora bent into a stately bow, and then straightened, a warm, if wary, smile on his face. "I had been worried about you, since I hadn't seen you since before the freezing."

"How kind of you." Wynn grimaced at the monotone of her voice, and Tane let out a nearly silent whistle. Nerah's usual personality seemed to be as frozen as her body had been before, and Jaco was catching the brunt of the blizzard. The Zora realized it too, his smile slowly sliding away. It disappeared at once when Nerah placed her arm through Wynn's, to his surprise, and pulled him away from the other man. "Come on, Wynn. There's some people I wanted to introduce you to."

Jaco watched the pair go, his face blank but his frame shaking as his fists tightened. Tane took a step back from the intent man, looked around for support. Aid found him, however, as Zaruu came up behind his commander, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Let her go, Jaco. She'll come to her senses soon enough."

Jaco blew his anger out in a sigh, shaking his head. "You've been saying it for years, Zaruu."

"Yeah, well, it has to happen eventually, right?"

"Yeah. Sure." Jaco turned away, wading into the crowd. Zaruu shot Tane an apologetic glance before following, not willing to let his comrade get too far ahead of him.

"Wow. Looks like Wynn is the one to step into it, this time."

"That it does, doesn't it?"

Tane winced at the familiar voice. "Let me guess…"

"Interesting situation, don't you think? Heh…some of the guys are already putting money down on how this one is going to work out."

Tane glared at Panu. "Don't even think about it." With that, he retreated into the crowd, leaving an amused Zora behind.

"Your loss, then."

******

'She was bad enough when she wasn't wearing anything,' Fami thought grimly, 'but then she has to find something that just shows off more than it hides.' The young woman sighed, barely resisting the urge to wave her hand in front of her face. The School was still a cooler temperature than what she was used to, but the combination of the humidity and the mass of people crammed along the tables was enough to make her want to dash for the outside. That was supposing, of course, she could find a way out that didn't involve drowning. 'Hunh. I bet there's a door from the Domain to here. She just took us the way she did to make us suffer.'

"…and without the bravery, the determination, the skill, of these brave men, we would still be living under the cold shadow of the Zess. We owe much to these courageous Hylians, who came to us in our time of need and destroyed the greatest threat to our lands. Now, that we are free from fear, free of both Ganon and his monster, we…"

Fami willed her mouth to stay closed, unwilling to give in to the temptation to yawn. She had figured the king would speak before the feast began, but she had never heard a speech before, and hadn't been prepared for the excruciating boredom of the practice. Factoring in the fact that unlike Wynn, she had not taken a nap before the feast, she direly wanted to lay her arms on the table and rest her head on them.

Trying to find something to capture her interest, she glanced around the table. Her eyes first fell on Wynn, who was sitting upright, looking at the monarch with something that almost resembled interest, apparently unfazed by the boredom that was plaguing her. To his right sat Nerah, who was looking at him even more intently than he was regarding the king, who was to his left. Tane, however, seemed to be suffering just as much as she, maybe worse considering he sat just to the left of the royal. His mouth opened in a colossal yawn, which was cut off as Zaruu, who was seated on his other side, jabbed an elbow into his ribs. Tane shot the Zora a wounded look, and then returned his gaze to the king. It didn't take close observation, however, to notice his eyes were half-lidded.

At least one other person's attentions were not on the king, even if it wasn't far from it. The Zora male Wynn had spoken to earlier, the one that had stared at Nerah so desperately, now glowered in Wynn's direction. Another Zora sat behind him, whispering in his ear. Fami wondered what they were discussing as she watched the first Zora's face darken.

She probably would have sympathized, had she have heard their talk. "It just isn't natural, Panu."

"Maybe not, but not impossible. Consider, for example, her lineage. Perhaps it runs in her family."

Jaco glanced back at his friend. "That was different."

"Ah, yes. A Hylian hero, valiantly saving the lives of Zoras and protecting the realm. A young man, with skills and courage that belied his age and appearance. Yes, I can see the glaring differences."

Jaco now turned completely, glaring at his friend. "Please don't rub it in."

"Of course, you could be right. It does seem unnatural that our races could interbreed…I've often wondered if it was Nerah's father's magical powers that allowed-"

"Do NOT continue that line of thought, please."

"Yes, milord."

"…and so, I offer this feast to honor our new-found allies, the heroes of our realm, Wynn and…ah…"

"…Tane."

"Ah, yes, Tane. So, let us show our gratitude to these brave men that have brought safety back to our home!" The king raised his chalice high in a toast, and with a roar of approval most of the Zoras mirrored the motion.

Wynn offered a nod in thanks for the king's kind words, snapping out of the trance he had slipped into. That was a skill he had learned early on; after all, Baro was a harsh teacher, and even harsher on students that allowed their attention to wander. He sipped at the wine that had been placed before him, eyeing hungrily the platters of food that were making their way towards the tables.

"You know, Wynn," the king mused, eyeing him from the side, "it is dreadfully unfortunate that only Nerah was able to witness the skills you used to defeat the Zess. You must be a master swordsman, if you could slay that beast."

Wynn shook his head, eyes locked on the mouth-watering platter of smoked fish that was moving in his direction. "I've had some training, yes, from my father, and also from a friend of the family. But I'm no master."

"Still, it is a shame that I couldn't see your fighting abilities in action. It must have been quite the sight."

Wynn nodded, realizing the necessity of pleasant chit-chat, but also realizing his stomach's desire to be full. He assaulted the unfortunate fish that had ended up on his plate, finding the meat to be perfectly seasoned, his mouth watering in the time it took for his fork to leave his mouth, spear another piece of food, and return.

"I wonder…do you think it would be possible to arrange a show of your abilities? It would be wonderful entertainment for this night, and I'm sure all present would appreciate the spectacle."

"That would be wonderful!" Nerah piped in from Wynn's side. "I would love to see you fight again, myself."

Wynn glanced at her, and then to the king. "Well…I suppose that would be fine…"

"Wonderful! I shall announce it at once!"

Wynn's fork paused in mid-swipe as his mind struggled to register what had just happened. 'What', he wondered, 'have I gotten myself into?'

The king's chalice rang out as he tapped his spoon against it. "Good people of Zora's Domain," he shouted, beaming at the collected Zoras, "I have an announcement to make. The hero, Wynn, has declared that he will give us a demonstration of his weapon skills!"

Wynn blushed as the crowd roared its approval, inspecting his plate mournfully. He glanced over at Tane, who gave him an apologetic smirk before returning his attention to his own plate, which had once been heaped over but was very far along its way to bare. Fami, sitting at another table, gave him a confident smile, which he tried to return, but failed dismally. Fighting a monster was one thing, but showing off in a crowd like this…

"Excuse me, your majesty, but how can I show them my swordsmanship without a blade?"

"Ah, good point, good point indeed. Servant! Bring us a pair of practice swords from the training rooms."

"…A pair?"

King Zora gave Wynn a wide smile. "Of course. Why, the best way for you to show us your abilities would be to spar against one of our own fighters!"

"…"

"I would ask for a volunteer, to fight a mock duel against our hero. Is there any Zora here who thinks that his skill is enough to match up with Wynn's?"

Wynn glanced to the side, and saw Zaruu begin to raise his hand. Before he could half complete the motion, however, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, pulling it back down. Wynn blinked as he noticed Jaco shake his head at his friend, and then push himself back from the table, standing up and facing the king. "I would see how a Hylian swordsman matches against myself, milord. I will fight him, if it pleases you."

"Absolutely marvelous! We are in for a treat indeed! Swordsmaster versus swordsmaster!"

Wynn swallowed loudly. "He's that good?"

"Yes, he is, the oaf," Nerah huffed from beside him. "He certainly brags enough about it."

Wynn winced; he had the sinking suspicion that if Jaco did brag, he had good reason. He glanced down at his plate, and pushed it away. He had suddenly lost his appetite. 

******

"Good luck, Wynn. I'm sure you'll do fine."

"He'll do better than fine. Just remember, he's good, so don't hold back." Nerah gave him a smile that made Wynn uncomfortable. "If you happen to hit him a little hard, rough him up a little, I'm sure no one would mind."

Wynn gave the two a transparently confident grin. "No worries here." His voice quaked only a little.

He glanced about, trying to find the last member of his party. Tane hadn't come over to wish him luck, and the duel was going to start in just a second. Wynn found him, oddly enough, talking to Panu, pointing enthusiastically in his direction.

'I swear,' Wynn thought, tightening his grip on the wooden practice sword, 'if he loses any more of my money, I will leave him to that card shark and run.'

He turned his gaze across to his opponent. Jaco met his gaze, staring intently at him. His eyes narrowed as he swung the sword back and forth, loosening his muscles. Nerah noticed the eye contact, and smiled broadly. "Oh, Wynn?"

"Hm?" When he turned to face the Zora woman, he felt her lips press against his cheek.

"For luck," she whispered, and stepped back into the crowd.

Wynn nervously looked back to Jaco, and found that Nerah had defeated that purpose; if Jaco had been intent before, his eyes held murder now.

"Are the combatants ready?" bellowed the king, rubbing his hands against each other eagerly.

Wynn nodded, and Jaco did the same, their eyes locked on the other's. "Then begin!" came the cry, and they stepped forward, wooden blades at ready, moving to strike.

They circled for a moment, judging their opponent, checking for obvious weaknesses. Finding none, Jaco took the first move, darting forward and thrusting his blade out, aiming for Wynn's gut. The larger man deflected the stab, and moved to counter, but Jaco retreated, still measuring Wynn's skill.

Wynn allowed Jaco to set the pace of the fight, waiting for the Zora to strike. Jaco continued to move around him, waving his blade slightly, sinuously, as to keep Wynn guessing when the next strike would come. Still, Wynn was patient, until finally Jaco lunged, stabbing high at his chest, but pulling back and thrusting again. Wynn didn't fall for the lightning-fast feint, stepping back and deflecting the real blow. Wynn took to offense then, stepping forward and swinging his sword across in a powerful slice. Jaco couldn't bring his sword in line to block, but twisted away, coming at Wynn's side. The Hylian stopped his swing, and reversed it, blocking Jaco's strike as he turned.

Again they circled, a bit more knowledgeable about what to expect from the other. Jaco again dove in, slapping his sword against Wynn's once, twice, three times, before duplicating Wynn's earlier chest-high slash. Wynn drove the sword up and behind him as he moved past, turning as he went to cut at Jaco's hip. Jaco blocked, but Wynn's momentum forced him on around, bringing his sword out to his left. Wynn came back across, and the defenseless Jaco dodged backwards, narrowly avoiding the swing. The two separated, both smiling grimly now.

"Very nice," Jaco commented, his earlier rage forgotten. "An interesting style…your teacher must have been a very strong man."

"One of them was."

Jaco's eyebrow rose. "Very interesting." His sword began to wave again as he reversed the direction of their circle.

Wynn chuckled, and then suddenly moved forward; Jaco wasn't the only one that could mix things up. He slashed across, aiming for Jaco's weapon. His swing caught the blade, nearly wrenching it from Jaco's hands, but the Zora allowed himself to twist, moving with the attack. He countered by bringing his sword across, aiming high, but Wynn deflected it further upwards.

Wynn stepped back, bringing his sword back and then sending it straight forward, the thrust aimed at Jaco's chest. The off-balance Zora might not have managed to deflect another of Wynn's powerful slashes, but this simple, familiar attack was easily defeated. He slashed his sword in front of his chest, turning so that he could follow the defense by striking at Wynn's hips. The stocky man couldn't dodge that, he guessed, and-

"Watch out, Wynn!"

Jaco froze, if just for a heartbeat; too long. Wynn wouldn't have needed the help, however. He twisted his arm as he thrusted, bringing it perpendicular to his body as he stepped forward. Jaco's deflection met only air as he stepped forward, and then his progress was halted as the wooden sword pressed against his throat.

Wynn nodded at the Zora, his eyes locking onto his defeated opponent's. Jaco met the gaze coldly. "I yield."

Wynn lowered his sword, and the feast hall erupted into cheers. Wynn switched the sword to the other hand, and offered his right to Jaco. Frigid eyes never leaving Wynn's, the Zora took the hand and shook it once. Both men gave their swords to the servant that came up to them, and returned to the crowd. Nerah ran up to Wynn, Fami close behind, but Jaco didn't notice, instead making his way towards the edge of the crowd and the ramps beyond.

Zaruu caught up with his commander a second later, but merely walked beside the man, silent. After a moment, he finally offered, "Still a little stiff from the ice, hunh?"

"He won."

Zaruu stopped as his leader made his way up the ramp and towards his rooms. As Zaruu turned and made his way back to the party, his eyes fell on Wynn, and the laughing Nerah that had her arms around his chest. It wasn't till then that he realized that, for Jaco at least, the sums of money Panu held and the pride Wynn had earned weren't the only things that had been at stake on this match.

******

"Well done, Wynn!"

"Amazing!"

Wynn laughed, trying in vain to pry Nerah and Fami off him. "I was lucky, and stupid for taking a risk like that."

"Does that matter? You won!"

"I guess you have a point."

Nearby, someone else was celebrating. "Well, now, looks like I finally win a bet against you!" Tane crowed, hands on his hips as he stood over Panu, who was busy counting rupees. "I'll be taking those fifty rupees, kind sir."

Panu chuckled as he tossed Tane a pouch, the exact pouch Wynn had handed him earlier. "There you go…but I must tell you, you weren't betting against me, but rather some of the other gentleman here."

"But…"

Panu gave him a toothy grin as he slipped an even larger pouch into one of his pockets. "My money was on your friend."

Tane's eyes narrowed. "You never lose, do you?"

"Not yet."

From there, the feast wore down. Not long after the duel, Wynn managed to excuse himself from the celebration and make his way to his room, leaving Fami and Nerah to search for him. He accepted congratulations from a few Zoras that were wandering the halls before finding himself at his door and stepping into his room for the night.

He smiled wistfully at his bed, but before he allowed himself to sink into it he arranged his armor in front of the door out into the hall, blocking it. He needed sleep, and no one was getting into his room, key or no. Plus, he thought as he rubbed his eyes, that would save him a lot of embarrassment in case anyone decided to pay him a visit during the night. Not that she would do that, he corrected himself, glancing warily at the large bed. No, she wouldn't. Probably.

Shaking his head, he climbed into bed, stretching out and feeling the day's aches as he fought to clear his mind. Despite the whorl of thoughts that fought to keep him awake, exhaustion overpowered it, and he finally closed his eyes, drifting into sleep. His last thought was relief that tonight, he would be too tired to dream, and certainly too tired to have more nightmares.

He was wrong.

Author's Note: I have officially surprised myself. This makes 3 chapters in a row that I've adhered to my 1-chapter-every-3-weeks schedule. Of course, the very next thing I have to add is that the next chapter will have to be late, since I'm heading home for Christmas break and don't have Frontpage to post the chapter. I guess that's O.K., though, since due to finals work has been delayed on that chapter anyways. Heh...the 4 weeks of Christmas break might not even be enough to finish writing that one, since it will have to be much longer than this one, unless I split it into two. Look forward to more fun hints about Wynn's past, the man who trained him, and the introduction of the fifth member of their party, a mysterious young man with, shall we say, a dark past (Dark everything, since he's, how was it once put, a shadow? ^_^;).

Another thing that has surprised me is the amount of new material I'm putting in this version. Anyone familiar with the old story will hopefully have noticed a few differences: the mysterious figure that watches Seron, the extra information about Wynn's past via his dark dreams (a trend which continues with the next scene, actually), the tie-ins with the varied pasts of the other adventurers... Over the course of the past four years, nearly five now, I've come up with a mountain of backstories and plot twists. Now, I get to put them all into the tale...the only hard thing is making sure I don't blow all the surprises too early on. (A constant fear, I might add, since I admit that I put something into this very chapter that hints towards one of the larger surprises I've had in store that won't come out fully until book 6.) Still, I believe the new stuff is well worth the extra effort; after all, this chapter was a small fraction of the original chapter three, which contained the major plot events of the last three chapters of the revised version. In short, I'm proud of how this story is coming along, and even more proud of its potential.

The only unpleasant surprise I've had is my depressing lack of reviews. Sigh...yes, I know, this is an original character fic, hardly deserving of the term 'fanfiction', but quite frankly I had hoped for a little more of a reaction, or at least a sign SOMEBODY beside the Muses is still reading. If anyone is out there, let me know! I'll keep my eyes glued on my inbox, just like I have for the last...month...and a half...

Ahem, anyways, thanks again for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed the newest chapter of Hyrule's Heroes: Book 1.

~Wynn Pendragon


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